Fear Before Courage
by Namazukage
Summary: The story of Lucas Braddock, an OC and recurring companion dealing with a traumatic first encounter with the Doctor.  This story features the 9th, 10th, and 11th Doctors along with Donna, Amy, Rory, and Rosita.  The story conforms to canon.
1. Four Apologies

**Fear Before Courage**

Note: This chapter takes place before Rose.

_Chapter 1: Four Apologies_

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and immediately felt a tug in his head. Perhaps it was because of his relatively new body, the psychological repercussions of the Time War, or the fact that he had not visited this specific year in the 43rd century before, or a combination of the three, but the Doctor was eager to investigate. He wanted to identify the source of the pressure, even though it was getting stronger in his head.

The Doctor continued to walk around, half-noticing that he was in a vast and stately building. He entered a room in which eight green humanoid beings stood in front of a large glass rectangular monolith that had a metallic base. Orange energy flashed within the monolith, and it began communicating with the Doctor.

The Doctor realized that the monolith was the source of the nudging. As soon as the Doctor appeared in the building, the monolith sought him out, trying to control him. The Doctor felt instructions pouring into his head and he tried to resist. "Someone will take his place," he thought to the monolith.

Despite the Doctor's struggles, the monolith persevered and ultimately forced the rest of his instructions into the Doctor's head. The other eight humanoids activated their wristbands and teleported away. The Doctor returned to the TARDIS and disappeared.

…

Two days after graduating from the Carroll County Public School System, Lucas Braddock was swimming. His friends were either still sleeping at 10:20 am or vacationing somewhere far away. The pool was actually closed, but the owner was his swimming coach's brother.

Jonathan Askes knew how important swimming was to Lucas. Lucas was planning to focus on his academics during his first year of college in Frostburg and then try to join the swim team. Lucas wasn't a remarkable swimmer and he considered himself a long shot for a spot on a college team, so he was determined to maintain all he had. Lucas was the only person Jonathan allowed in the pool when it was closed and the only one he allowed in the pool without a lifeguard present.

Even if he wasn't focused on the water, Lucas wouldn't have heard the TARDIS dematerializing outside or the intermittent groaning and creaking that accompanied this particular landing. He didn't hear the door opening, either. Lucas prepared to kick off the side of the pool to begin his ninth lap. It was only by chance that he caught someone in the corner of his right eye and he stopped in the middle of his stroke.

"Jonathan, what's up? Did you just pour something into the pool?" Lucas said while looking down, taking his goggles off. He looked up and saw the Doctor. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else."

The Doctor didn't respond.

"Come to think of it," Lucas continued as he approached the Doctor, "you must know Jonathan if you're here."

"Are you Luke Braddock?" the Doctor finally said.

"Only my brother calls me that. I go by Lucas," he responded as the climbed out of the pool. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. I have a message for you. Come with me."

"Doctor? Doctor who?" Lucas asked, slightly concerned.

"Just the Doctor."

"That's not very helpful," Lucas replied as the two stepped outside towards the TARDIS. "Are you with an office or a hospital?"

"In a way, yes," the Doctor answered while reaching and opening the TARDIS doors.

Lucas' mouth dropped as he saw the interior. At that point, he started to feel weak and his mind became vacant.

As Lucas started to stumble, the Doctor eased him down onto the TARDIS' floor, where Lucas lied in a catatonic state.

The Doctor himself started to feel a strong headache as he activated the TARDIS' controls and set it on motion. Suddenly, he collapsed onto the floor.

Lucas eventually regained his full cognitive and physical abilities, though he was still a little lightheaded. He took a quick look around the TARDIS and saw the Doctor unconscious. He then stepped out of the TARDIS and saw eight monoliths in a large white room. He also saw around a dozen small blue beings turn their attention to him.

"Luke Braddock has been identified," one of them said. "Apprehend Luke Braddock!" The blue beings approached Lucas and he darted back into the TARDIS and closed the doors. He saw the lock and turned it. Unsure of what to do or anything going on, Lucas simply slid down onto the floor with the doors against his back and brought his knees to his chest. He ignored the tapping behind him and stared at the unconscious Doctor.

After what seemed like half an hour to Lucas, the Doctor began to stir. Lucas leapt up and started looking for anything he could use as a weapon. Finding nothing, he stood by a coral column far from the Doctor.

"Oh, lesson learned," the Doctor said to himself, half-jocularly. He stood up and saw Lucas. "Lucas," the Doctor began as he walked toward Lucas.

"Stay away from me! Tell me what's going on and why you've brought me here." Lucas yelled.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess I should explain. Someone got into my mind and told me to bring you to this planet. I am sorry about that. My ship fixed me. It took a while, but I'm back to normal now. You're actually lucky that I got to you."

"How's that?" Lucas asked, not believing the Doctor.

"The beings that are after you are called Shrines. They're formless creatures that live in glass cases. They took over the Chronocorporation and sent eight Chronoids back into the past to bring you here, probably to kill you."

"How is that lucky?" Lucas questioned.

"My kind is more advanced with time travel and I have better resources for finding people. The Chronocorporation is still in its youth, one of the precursors to the Time Agency. I went back further than any of them could and now I can protect your future."

"So why do they want me?"

The Doctor stepped closer to Lucas.

"Keep away!"

"All right. You're going to publish a research paper one day. It's theoretical, but in a couple millennia's time, people will continue to work on it until a race called the Lamgucks will finally put it to practical use and gain a major advantage in a war against the Shrines."

"This is like a Terminator situation."

"If you want to call it that."

"Are you an alien?"

"Yes."

Lucas looked around the TARDIS.

"If you are in control of your mind now, can you take me home?"

"Bad idea."

"Why?" Lucas asked, annoyed.

"Your future is uncertain with the eight Chronoids out there. Don't you want this situation resolved before you go back?"

"What about my past?"

"What about it?"

"You said they weren't as advanced as you, but could they be one day and go back?"

"Have you been apprehended by aliens in the past?"

"No."

"Well, there you go. No problem." The Doctor activated the TARDIS' controls again. "Thanks for fixing my head," he quietly said to the console before turning his attention back to Lucas. "Timelines and all that. You know they didn't get you in the past, so you're safe. Once we resolve this issue, I'll take you home and you can work on your thesis."

"Where are we going now?"

"To see the Lamgucks."

The TARDIS soon landed and the Doctor was about to open the door. He saw Lucas holding on to the same coral column as before.

"Are you coming?"

"You still haven't given me enough reason for trusting you." Considering what he just experienced, Lucas was willing to accept that the Doctor's explanation was possible, but he wasn't convinced that there wasn't more and he worried that the Doctor could still be dangerous.

"You're still on that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm not handling my first alien abduction well."

"All right. Look around you. This is the TARDIS. It stands for 'time and relative dimension in space.' It's bigger on the inside and can travel through various times and places very quickly. We're in the future now." The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. "This is my sonic screwdriver." He pointed the screwdriver at a railing, which soon started to glow red. "It can do almost anything I want it to do. Right now, it's heating up that railing. You can touch if you'd like, to make sure. I am an alien from Gallifrey. I am over nine hundred years old and survived eight deaths. Take all this into consideration and ask yourself this: If I wanted to harm you, what's stopped me from doing so? For that matter, what's to keep me from forcing you out? So, you might as well join me, then. You don't really have much to lose at this point."

Lucas closed his eyes and thought about Liam before opening his eyes and approaching the Doctor, who opened the doors.

Outside the TARDIS stood four Lamgucks holding their guns at the Doctor and Lucas. The Lamgucks stood nearly six feet tall and had four arms that were long enough to touch the ground at their sides. Eight spider-like legs supported the Lamgucks. The Lamgucks had very small heads that held one huge eye at the top and a large mouth in the front beneath the eye.

"Sorry, wasn't expecting this, but don't worry," the Doctor told Lucas. "Hello," he said to the Lamgucks. "I'm the Doctor. I'm here to help with your war against the Shrines. One of them was inside my head, so I have a clue about what they are trying to do."

The Lamgucks didn't respond.

"And this is Lucas Braddock, future author of the Driscoll Rule."

The Lamgucks put down their guns.

"How is this possible?" one of the Lamgucks asked.

"Time travel. You can verify his identify later if you'd like. Now, shall we talk somewhere about your diplomatic options?"

"Follow us," a different Lamguck replied.

The group walked towards a palace-like building in a desert under a blazing star.

"Aliens are real," Lucas said to himself, still trying to come to terms with what happened.

"Yeah, we are," the Doctor answered without invitation.

"Aliens are real," Lucas repeated as he looked around and exhaled sharply. "So what's this Driscoll Rule that I'm going to publish?" Lucas asked the Doctor.

"I can't tell you. It's risky. You already know too much."

"Fine. So why do you speak with a British accent?" Lucas asked the Doctor.

"I just do."

The group reached tall stone doors that opened slowly. A cool breeze swept out, to everyone's comfort.

"What is this?" Lucas asked.

"This is the office of the pontiff," a Lamguck answered.

"It's like their White House," the Doctor explained. "The Lamgucks have a theocratic society and the pontiff is their leader."

Shortly after, the Doctor, Lucas, and seventeen Lamgucks sat in a conference room with a general leading the discussion. The Doctor had explained what had happened and what he had done.

"We will launch attacks against the four Chronocorporation offices and then open negotiations with the Shrines," General Kalo decided as he opened communications with a different office.

"Yes, General?" a voice from the other end said.

"I am sending you coordinates to three buildings on Jorsouter and one in Bhukind. Can you fire a rhelond cylinder into those buildings without detection?"

"Yes, General."

"Do it, then blow up the buildings in Jorsouter and teleport the one in Bhukind into open space."

The Doctor knew that the rhelond cylinders would release a gas that would paralyze Shrines and slow down the Blue Howes so that they couldn't be able to leave the buildings before they were destroyed. He considered protesting against their deaths, but knew after what he witnessed in the Time War that death was inevitable in war. He also wished for an end to this conflict. There was hope in Bhukind, though; that was encouraging.

"Bhukind is not involved in your war," the Doctor pointed out.

"I know that," General Kalo responded. "But they employ mostly Shrines and we are preventing any damage to surrounding structures."

"There will be Lundfies in that building, too."

"The Lundfies will understand."

The Doctor stood up. "I can save them," he said and he started towards the door.

Lucas became alarmed. He didn't want to put himself in what could be a dangerous situation, but he also didn't want to be separated from his transport back home. He stood up as well and tried to follow the Doctor.

"Stop him," Kalo told two guards, referring to Lucas. The Doctor paused and looked back.

"I need to go with him," Lucas said.

"You are too valuable to go. Guards, restrain him and take him to a guest quarter."

"No!" Lucas yelled. "You have absolutely no right to keep me here!"

"General," the Doctor interjected. "I'll bring him back. I promise."

Kalo didn't react.

"I brought him here, to you, and now I'm temporarily taking him back. He'll be safe."

"Let him proceed," Kalo commanded.

Lucas and the Doctor ran back to the TARDIS, not wanting to give Kalo a chance to change his mind. The Doctor set it off towards the Chronocorporation building in Bhukind and saw Lucas standing near the TARDIS doors. He was pacing and had his arms around himself.

"Lucas, what's wrong?"

Lucas turned and looked at the Doctor.

"Well, recently," the Doctor added.

"I don't like being treated like a chess piece."

"I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot, Doctor."

"And I've meant it every time. Look, I realize how bad this situation is to you and I wish you were never brought into it like you did something wrong. The Shrines don't know about the rhelond gases or the Lamgucks' satellite weapons technology. After they see those two in action and the Chronocorporation is brought down, the Shrines will have to negotiate and probably surrender. Can you bear through this for just a little while longer?"

"Will you take me home when this is all over?"

"I promise," the Doctor replied as the TARDIS made its typical landing noise and the Doctor walked towards the door.

"What are you going to do?" Lucas asked.

"If the Lamgucks are going to teleport the building away, they probably have it shielded to prevent anyone from leaving. The Lundfies will instinctively go up as high as they can, and so have we. Pity they don't have useful roofs. Anyway, I'll just go out and collect the Lundfies. The gas won't affect them as much, so they'll be fine."

"How about you?"

"I'll be fine as long as I don't inhale," the Doctor replied as he opened the doors.

"What about the gas coming in?" Lucas asked.

"The TARDIS has a filter. Besides, you'd be fine anyway as long as you don't inhale."

"And if I did?"

"Really not a good idea."

The Doctor exited the TARDIS and Lucas immediately saw crowds of Lundfies. They had light orange skin and short red hair on their heads, back of their hands, and top of their feet. They had eight eyes that circled their heads, a mouth that looked like a human mouth, and what looked like a nose under the mouth. On average, the Lundfies stood around five feet tall and were slim.

While manipulating his respiratory passages, the Doctor ushered the Lundfies into the TARDIS and went off, searching for more.

Lucas soon saw a wave of dozens of Lundfies running towards the TARDIS and the Doctor returned with the rest of them. The Lundfies were dropped off next to the building outside and the Doctor and Lucas witnessed the building disappearing via teleportation. Then, they headed back to the Lamgucks.

The Doctor and Lucas stepped out of the TARDIS and the Doctor overheard two Lamgucks talking about the Shrines in the building.

A look of worry crept across the Doctor's face and he looked around. "That shouldn't have happened," he quietly said.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"We might have jumped ahead." The Doctor ran to the room where they were before with Lucas following. Before they reached the door, they heard air hissing loudly and saw purple gas starting to emanate from the room. "Hold your breath and run back to the TARDIS!" the Doctor yelled. "This is worse than rhelond!"

Five Shrines burst out of the room with their glass homes cracked. Three blue entities that Lucas saw earlier ran out as well.

"Luke Braddock has been identified," one of the Blue Howes called. "Apprehend Luke Braddock!"

The Shrine with the smallest crack raced ahead towards Lucas. Four serpentine coils came out of the metallic base and grabbed Lucas. The Doctor tried to free Lucas while Lucas kept holding his breath, but the three Blue Howes grabbed Lucas and the four teleported away. The Shrine's case finally cracked open and the being inside died.

The Doctor ran back to the room and saw Lamgucks talking to each other. The purple gas had dissipated enough to be safe for the Doctor.

"You're back," a Lamguck noticed.

"What happened?"

"After we destroyed the Chronocorporation buildings, those Shrines came for negotiations and opened communication with Chancellor Juwotho. He was not yet ready to surrender, so we demonstrated the powers of a new formula our scientists created."

"You shouldn't have done that," the Doctor said.

"Where is Luke Braddock?"

"The Blue Howes took him."

The Lamgucks murmured to each other in concern.

"They will take him to Chancellor Juwotho," a Lamguck noted.

"Do you know where he is?"

"We tracked the transmission and are currently sending weapons there. I will rescind that order now."

"Did you mention Lucas to them?"

"We did."

"Did they say anything about the Chronoids they sent back in time?"

"Only that they failed to locate Luke and were automatically recalled when the buildings were destroyed."

"Good. Tell me where Chancellor Juwotho is," the Doctor commanded. "I've met him before, but probably at a different location. I'm going to rescue Lucas."

"You are not going alone," General Kalo said.

On Jorsouter, a Shrine held Lucas's arms and legs in coils and kept making sounds. Lucas knew the Shrine was trying to communicate with him orally and telepathically, but he understood nothing. Lucas kept on yelling back, even though he knew the Shrine wouldn't understand him.

No one noticed the sound of the TARDIS materializing.

The Shrine kept on speaking. ". . . and you will modify the equations to fit our needs."

Lucas frowned in confusion. He finally understood what the Shrine was saying.

"Lucas!" the Doctor yelled.

Lucas, the Shrine holding him, and three other Shrines in the room turned their attention to the Doctor, who was surrounded by fourteen Lamgucks.

"I cannot penetrate your mind as I did before," the Shrine holding Lucas told the Doctor.

"I'm stronger and better prepared now, Chancellor. My ship is also protecting me and Lucas."

"Chancellor Juwotho, you are outnumbered here. Surrender now," General Kalo said as authoritatively as he could.

Chancellor Juwotho sent a high-density energy burst through Lucas, making Lucas scream.

"I have Luke Braddock before the Driscoll Rule was formulated. He will teach us how to use his equations to benefit us and you will lose your leverage."

"I can't," Lucas said weakly. "I don't know how yet."

"You will, regardless of how long it takes," Juwotho responded.

"That won't help you," Kalo said. "We are still here and in control."

"Look around and re-evaluate," Juwotho replied proudly.

The Doctor noticed that close to thirty Shrines had appeared behind him along with nine Blue Howes. He knew that the Lamgucks wouldn't use the rhelond gases with him and Lucas present and that the Blue Howes wouldn't be able to teleport enough Lamgucks away before they fought back. A bloodbath was imminent and the Doctor wouldn't be able to protect Lucas.

"This will not end the war," Kalo claimed.

"I am aware of that," Juwotho responded.

The Doctor, seeing no other choice, pulled out a baton-like device. "This will end it," he said before shooting Lucas in the chest.

Surprised by the Doctor's action, Juwotho dropped Lucas onto the floor.

Lucas felt sharp pain in his heart. He felt no bleeding, but he knew that something was wrong. His breathing became erratic and everything became gray. The only thing he could hear was his own gasping. Soon, the only thing he could see was blackness.

"You understand nothing about time," the Doctor said to Juwotho. "Lucas is dead, yet nothing has changed. Do you want to know why? It's because the past is fixed. The fact that we are all standing here, now, is fixed. Can you challenge the fact that we are here? The only thing accomplished by killing Lucas is creating a parallel reality in which the Driscoll Rule never came into existence. That has no consequence here, and it never will. The Lamgucks will maintain their strategic advantage and your defeat is inevitable."

The Doctor picked up Lucas' body and headed back to the TARDIS. "I brought him here and eliminated him," he told the Shrines. "I did what you wanted me to do and now I'm leaving. I have nothing else to do with this." A flash of uncertainty swept across his face briefly as the Doctor was concerned that the Shrines could see through his ruse. However, Juwotho allowed him to pass by the other Shrines unhindered. As he opened the TARDIS doors, the Doctor turned his head. "Kalo," the Doctor yelled. "Do it!"

Suddenly, Kalo dropped two rhelond cylinders that permitted the Lamgucks to capture the Shrines, including the chancellor, and some of the Blue Howes.

…

In a bedroom in the TARDIS, Lucas slowly opened his eyes. He realized that he was alive and perked up, feeling his chest.

"You're all right," the Doctor said. "What I hit you with only simulates death."

Lucas let out a gasp. He fought as hard as he could to not break down. "I . . . I thought . . . "

"I know. I'm sorry. I would have warned you ahead of time, told you that you would be fine, but I couldn't under the circumstances."

Teary eyed, Lucas only nodded.

"I'll program the TARDIS to take you home," the Doctor said, and he left Lucas alone.

Even though he wasn't tired, Lucas went back to sleep. Even after arriving in Maryland, the Doctor didn't interrupt Lucas, and not just because they had traveled a little further back than planned. He waited for Lucas to wake up on his own and when he finally did, the Doctor and Lucas walked to the swimming pool.

The Doctor looked at a clock nearby. "You've only been gone eighteen minutes. The chemical that I put into the pool to knock you out was an extract from boulweed leaves. It should be inactive now."

Lucas was relieved, but he didn't react.

"You'll be fine now. The Chronocorporation is gone and the eight Chronoids are back in the future."

Lucas nodded again and looked at the Doctor without expression.

"Take care of yourself, Lucas."

Lucas nodded a third time in response and the Doctor left. Lucas sat down on the ground for close to forty minutes, contemplating everything that he had experienced. After that, he got back into the pool and swam. He kept on swimming for much longer than he had initially planned. Even when he was getting exhausted, Lucas kept on swimming. He merely switched to a less intensive stroke. To him, this was his home, a place where he felt safe again.

* * *

><p>Thanks a lot for getting this far. The rest of the chapters (probably nine more) will be considerably shorter. They'll essentially be mini-adventures.<p>

I just published a Stargate SG-1 story which has a character named Liam Braddock. I needed a name and that's what came to mind. I guess you all can consider him an alternate reality version of Lucas' brother because I like to conform to canon. The dates and biography in that story don't contradict this one's.


	2. The State of GR Magellan 9

**Fear Before Courage**

Note: The next three chapters take place between The Unicorn and the Wasp and Silence in the Library.

_Chapter 2: The State of GR Magellan 9_

"So, what year is it?" Donna asked. She and the Doctor were in a room full of public video telephones. They could hear sounds of civilization not far away.

"The year 4012," the Doctor responded. He noticed that they were on a very large ship and found a window. "Let's take a look, see where we are."

Donna joined the Doctor at the window and saw a small blue sphere in the distance.

"What's that?" Donna inquired.

"Neptune."

Donna gasped in astonishment.

"We're in a city-ship," the Doctor informed.

"A city-ship?"

"The human empire is expanding again. Ships like these set off from Earth carrying passengers that can't afford the faster ships. It takes over three years to reach its destination, so the people make the ship their city, complete with shops and entertainment," the Doctor explained to Donna as they walked along, finally reaching an arena in which gymnasts showed off their skills in an exhibition.

"How many people do you think are on board?"

"This is a huge ship. Tens of thousands, I reckon."

Donna was intrigued by the gymnastics demonstration in front of her and the Doctor left her alone to explore the city-ship on his own.

"Ah, GR Magellan 9," the Doctor said, finally identifying the city-ship by posters on a wall.

As the gymnastics exhibition was winding down, Donna continued to walk along the arena. She saw a concession stand selling strings of fried dough with green filling peeking out.

"Rolled cassava leaves," explained a young man. "Would you like one? I've been told they're rare where we're going."

"No thanks," Donna answered. "I didn't bring out my wallet with me."

Lucas looked intrigued. "Your English is different; it's much more familiar to me."

"Oh, the Doctor said the TARDIS –"

"You know the Doctor?"

"Yeah, I'm traveling with him. I'm Donna Noble. Who are you?"

"I'm Lucas Braddock."

The Doctor continued his tour of GR Magellan 9 and found that he was close to the control center of the ship. Because he knew the area would have increased security, the Doctor tried to be inconspicuous and avoid the guards. When he heard two individuals conversing, he hid behind a wall.

". . . the thrusters would be able to hold long enough for our specifications," one conversant said.

"Good. Begin the second stage, then. We must reach Haxis before the inauguration."

The last two statements drew the Doctor's attention. He peered around the wall and saw the two humanoids who were talking. He could tell that they weren't human, so he went off in search of Donna.

Donna and Lucas continued their discussion about the Doctor and traveling with him. However, Lucas withheld the traumatic memories he held. They also discussed what they were doing before arriving on this ship. Lucas told Donna that he was a twenty-five-year-old high school science teacher in Baltimore, Maryland.

"That's how my MAT program was arranged," Lucas explained as they reached the TARDIS. "Go Retrievers."

"The Doctor will come back here, eventually," Donna noted. "We agreed to meet here. Do you want to come inside?"

"No, I think I'll stay out here," Lucas responded. He was anxious to see the Doctor again.

"All right. Seeing your concession stand made me hungry, so I'm going in for a snack."

Lucas continued to wait for the Doctor. He didn't recognize the man who looked surprised.

"Lucas!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Yes?"

"It's me, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"The Doctor. I . . . changed my appearance since we met."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me," Lucas answered with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Inside the TARDIS, Donna ate a snack while the Doctor and Lucas talked.

"I don't know, Lucas. I'm sorry. Maybe the TARDIS formed a telepathic link with you when she protected you against Chancellor Juwotho and a lot has happened to her since. I can't know for certain, though. How long have you been here?"

"About two weeks."

"And how long has it been since we saw each other?"

"Around six years."

"Your appearance didn't cause problems?" the Doctor asked.

"Apparently, security did its thing at loading time. Once the ship set off, it was deemed secure. Everyone assumes that everyone belongs."

"How have you been getting along here?" Donna questioned. She had taken a liking to Lucas.

"I found some guy who sympathized with my situation. He thought I was a stowaway and offered me a job at the concession stand after one of his employees got sick," Lucas explained. The topic reminded Lucas of a conversation from seven years ago and he looked at the Doctor and changed the subject. "I got my paper published," Lucas said with a barely-noticeable smile.

"Good. The Driscoll Rule is now officially out there. Named after your mother, I suspect?"

"Yeah, I figured my father's last name lives on in mine, so I should name the rule after my mother. There was a lot of resistance, but I got it through."

The Doctor smiled at Lucas' response before remembering why he was looking for Donna. "I found out more about this ship," he said. "It's named GR Magellan 9 and it's scheduled to arrive on the planet Royuhan."

"But . . . ?" Donna knew by now when something else was on the Doctor's mind.

"I think Hoxeyes are trying to take over the ship. I heard one of them talking about going to Haxis."

"Is that very far from Royuhan?" Donna asked.

"It's not too far, relatively speaking. The Hoxeyes must have chosen a ship that was going to be in the area."

"What do you want to do?" Donna asked.

"Talk to the pilots, who will alert security. They'll need me to identify the Hoxeyes. Humans won't be able to pick them out."

"Let's go," Donna suggested.

"Lucas," the Doctor said. "Stay here. I'll take you home when this is over."

"Can I come with you?" Lucas asked, with notable hesitation in his voice.

"You want to come . . . sure, come on," the Doctor replied, smiling. He was surprised by Lucas' request, but didn't want to deny Lucas anything at this point.

The Doctor, Donna, and Lucas walked to the control center and were met by two guards.

The Doctor held out his psychic paper. "Hello, I'm the supervising engineer of this ship and these are my associates. I need to speak to the pilot."

One guard ushered the three into a nearby room and instructed them to wait.

"What is that you showed them, Doctor?" Lucas asked while the three were waiting.

"Psychic paper. It shows people what I want them to see."

"Neat trick," Lucas responded. "So why do you think aliens want to take over and divert the ship?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. The pilot had entered and heard Lucas' question, and the Doctor knew that the pilot was a Hoxeye. They had already taken over.

"Tell us why you're taking this ship to Haxis," the Doctor demanded in vain as the guards pushed him, Donna, and Lucas into a locked room. He was ignored.

Donna was the first to see a man and woman lying on the ground in the room and ran to check on them. "Did they take your sonic thing?" she asked the Doctor. "You can scan them to make sure they're fine, right?"

The Doctor checked the pair's vitals using traditional Earth methods. "They took my screwdriver, but these two will be fine."

"You could have just asked," one of them remarked, startling the three. The man sat up and shook the woman. "Danica, wake up."

"Who are you?" Donna asked.

"Lorry Fournier. I'm the pilot of this ship. Danica Horvat here is one of my co-pilots."

"How long have you been in here?" the Doctor questioned.

"Nearly one day, I believe."

"How many other co-pilots are there?"

"Three. They are not scheduled to take over until tomorrow."

"Are they in danger, too?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"Probably," the Doctor answered. "Lorry, the Hoxeyes want to take the ship to Haxis. Did they give any indication why?"

"I overheard that they need the ship for something," Danica answered. "I think they will find a use for the rest of us, though."

"All right," the Doctor said. "First things first, we need to get out of here."

"The guards are helping the Hoxeyes," Donna pointed out.

The Doctor noticed a vent shaft. "What about that?" he asked, pointing to the shaft.

"No use," Lorry replied. "That's why the guards aren't worried about us here. The shafts on this ship are mostly independent from one another and are very narrow at their points of origin."

The door then opened. The Hoxeye pilot appeared with two guards. The pilot and one guard took the Doctor away without saying a word. The other guard started to close the door when Donna approached.

"Oy, there. Can we get anything to drink here? We're all a bit thirsty, especially those two," Donna said, pointing to Lorry and Danica.

"I can have someone bring you something later."

"Aren't there any other guards around?" Donna looked around.

"Not yet," the guard responded.

"Good," Donna replied quickly as she kneed the guard in the groin, grateful for knowing that the guard was human.

The guard doubled over, but kept his grip on his gun as Donna tried to grab for it. While distracted by his current predicament, the guard was helpless when Lucas started to land blows to his face. Soon, the guard was locked in the room.

"Danica, go get help from people you trust," Lorry ordered.

"I'll go with her," Lucas said.

"And I'll go with you," Donna said to Lorry.

Lorry released the safety of the gun he took from the guard. He and Donna then went to look for the Doctor.

The Doctor was already being interrogated on the way to a dark room.

"How did you find out about us? Who are you?"

"I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours."

"I am Glasrunk."

"Good. I'm the Doctor."

"How did you know about us?"

"I'll tell you that if you tell me why you're taking this ship to Haxis."

Glasrunk took out his gun and pointed it at the Doctor's head. "This is not a conversation of exchange, Doctor, "Glasrunk warned as they reached the room and closed the door.

The Doctor glanced around and saw his sonic screwdriver on a table nearby. "Well that's too bad. The 41st century could benefit from –"

A door opening interrupted the Doctor. Donna stood there with a surprised look. "Sorry, this isn't the loo . . . " Donna quickly closed the door.

The guard ran after Donna but was tackled by Lorry, who took possession of another gun and locked this guard in the other room.

Glasrunk was unaware of what had happened. He had turned his attention back to the Doctor to continue his line of questioning.

"How did you know about us? We are too well disguised."

"If Donna's free, the other three are, too. How many guards do you have working for you?"

Glasrunk kept his gaze on the Doctor as he backed towards the door. "Milland?" he shouted. With no reply Glasrunk opened the door and quickly peered out.

Before Glasrunk turned back to the Doctor, the Doctor had grabbed his sonic screwdriver and disabled Glasrunk's gun, resulting in a flurry of sparks. Glasrunk dropped his gun and began to run to the Doctor. He only took a few steps before Lorry suddenly burst in. Desperate to regain control of the situation, Glasrunk charged at Lorry. Lorry quickly drew his gun and delivered a fatal shot.

Lucas and Danica soon returned to the control center with a dozen guards who detained the two Hoxeyes and three guards working for them. Two human pilots then arrived to take over the ship and give Lorry and Danica a break from their responsibilities.

"The largest country on Haxis is Rongye," the Doctor explained after talking to the Hoxeyes. "Their president will be inaugurated soon and he wanted to show off a captured city-ship as a sign of strength against the expanding human empire. They might have ended up enslaving the humans aboard, except the cooperating guards and their families."

"We're grateful for your help, Doctor, and yours, too, Donna and Lucas," Lorry said.

"What will happen now? There has to be some reaction against Rongye," Lucas asked.

"That's up to someone else. Come on, back to the TARDIS."

"You three should stay. We will have a dinner in your honor," Danica said.

"That's all right, we really should be going," the Doctor replied.

"Another night, perhaps? What sector do you all inhabit?" Lorry suggested.

"We actually came through our own ship by the public telephones," the Doctor responded.

"I didn't think that was possible, or allowed," Danica mentioned.

"Well then, how about you just keep that to yourselves as thanks?" The Doctor smiled and he, Donna, and Lucas departed. Neither Lorry nor Danica knew how to respond, so they merely watched the three walk away.

"Do you need to tell anyone you're leaving?" Donna asked Lucas.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want my boss to be left shorthanded again," Lucas replied. "I'll go get my things, talk to Jack, and meet you at the TARDIS."

…

"I'm afraid I have to go now," Lucas told Jack Harkness. He had already gathered the few possessions that he had acquired during the past two weeks. "An opportunity came up for me to get to where I need to go."

Jack smiled. "You'll be missed."

"Thanks a lot for taking care of me, Jack."

"Hey, it's no problem. I'm glad that opportunity arrived," Jack responded, placing an unusual emphasis on 'opportunity.'

"Will everything with you be okay? I hate to leave you shorthanded."

"Don't worry. I assumed this was a short-term deal. Anyway, Tim's recovering well. He'll be able to take the next shift."

"That's great. Well, bye, Jack."

"Take care, Lucas."

"So. Back home to 2006, then," the Doctor exclaimed when Lucas entered the TARDIS.

"Actually, Doctor, Donna was telling me about how you go to different times and places."

"Yeah, it's an adventure."

"Can I tag along for a little while?"

As with before, the Doctor was surprised but didn't want to refuse Lucas.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes . . . I think so. Just for a while, Doctor."

"I'd love for you to join us. Welcome aboard, Lucas."


	3. The Heretics

**Fear Before Courage**

_Chapter 3: The Heretics_

The Doctor, Donna, and Lucas were going on their fourth hour in Korea's past. Lucas was amazed at Korean life in 1865. He was slightly concerned about the looks that he was getting, but he was able to mitigate some suspicion by seemingly speaking Korean fluently.

Lucas and Donna were admiring someone painting while the Doctor was occupied elsewhere. Suddenly, a young man snatched a newly purchased bag out of Donna's right hand, prompting a chase that Lucas joined.

Donna and Lucas cornered the thief in between two small buildings.

"What do you think you're doing?" Donna asked angrily.

The thief pulled out a small blade and got ready to swing it.

"That's not going to work on me, little boy!" Donna yelled as she approached the thief. "Now give me back my bag or I'll show you how –"

The thief threw Donna's bag at her head, drawing her attention away from him. He then dashed away, giving Lucas a slight push in his retreat.

As Donna and Lucas walked back to where the Doctor was, Lucas began chuckling to himself quietly.

"What's so funny?" Donna asked.

"Nothing. It's not funny; I'm just amazed by what you did, I guess."

"Well, I'm not going to let some blighter get away with trying to steal from me."

"You're quite fearless, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say that," Donna replied, slightly surprised. "Not at all."

"Well, you kneed a guy with a gun yesterday. Today, you unloaded on a kid with a knife."

"Maybe I'm just like that when the situation calls for it."

"I used to think I could have that much strength under pressure."

"What made you decide you weren't?"

"It was just some stuff that happened to me right after high school. I couldn't handle it. It took me a long time to get over it. I'm not sure if I ever have, actually."

By then, the pair had noticed that the Doctor was approaching the TARDIS, so they waved and joined him in there.

"So where to next?" the Doctor asked.

…

The Doctor, Lucas, and Donna walked around the planet Yeeso for fifty minutes before coming across a large hill. Eleven Yeesons worked hard building a metal structure on it. Two thick lines of metal hugged the hill and two sets of large wooden beams formed triangular shapes with the metal lines. Intrigued, the Doctor went up, followed by Donna and Lucas. The Yeesons were putting together groups of large sails when the three arrived.

"You're building a windmill," the Doctor concluded.

His companions were focused more on the Yeesons. The Yeesons were bipedal short figures that had four arms extending from broad shoulders. Their heads looked human except their noses and ears were flat and they had very long lower eyelashes.

"This will be the second windmill this planet has," a Yeeson named Paiden said proudly. "The first is in another country."

"Who are you?" a different Yeeson, named Lutmitton, asked.

"I'm the Doctor. This is Donna and Lucas. We're just passing by."

Lutmitton eyed them suspiciously. "Well, as Paiden confirmed, we are in fact building a windmill."

With curiosity, the Doctor examined the progress that the Yeesons were making and showed Donna some of the mechanics involved. Meanwhile, Lucas took in the sights of an alien planet, the first time he was able to do so without stress. Eventually, he noticed a small metal object that was halfway buried. Because it wasn't close to the work being done, Lucas assumed it was accidentally dropped. By that time, Donna had heard all she wanted to about windmill technology. She joined Lucas in approaching the object.

"Are you missing anything?" Donna asked the Yeesons. "Lucas found something here."

Lucas was brushing away some of the soil when the Doctor approached.

"Lucas, get away from that," the Doctor said suddenly with apprehension.

The Doctor's tone convinced Lucas to stand up quickly and back away. "What is it?"

"It's a bomb," the Doctor replied.

"What kind is it?" Paiden asked.

The Doctor bent down and took out his sonic screwdriver. He held it up to the bomb for several seconds. "Not a big one, but one that could have killed us all. Strangely enough, some of the parts have been torn apart inside. It never would have worked. It's safe now."

Lutmitton glared at the Doctor before looking at Paiden, who recognized the look.

"It is a coincidence, Lutmitton," Paiden said calmly.

"I don't believe in coincidences," Lutmitton coldly responded.

"It wouldn't make sense for our opposition to identify and disarm a bomb."

"None of what they've done makes sense."

"Like I said," the Doctor interrupted, "we're just passing by." He had heard enough to get an impression of Lutmitton's concerns. "Who's trying to stop you?"

Paiden and Lutmitton looked at each other.

"We've been facing pressures from a group of religious zealots. They say that building these windmills is tantamount to the blasphemous idols on the hills of old," Lutmitton answered.

"They are concerned about what this might lead to," Paiden added.

"There's a religious aspect to these windmills?" Lucas asked.

"No," Lutmitton responded, "and that's what makes this all more absurd."

"It's because of the energy premier's comments about religious establishments," another Yeeson added. "He's given them reason to be suspicious."

"Doctor," Paiden began. "You say the bomb is safe now?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Paiden bent down and cautiously picked up the bomb. He then took out a pocket watch and looked at Lutmitton. "The staff of the high premier is meeting with several religious groups now. "

"You are going to go to this meeting and show them a bomb?" Lutmitton asked.

"They'll know it's safe before I show it."

"If it is safe. Take these three visitors with you."

"I don't think that's necessary," Lucas said.

"It's not your choice," Lutmitton responded coldly.

Two Yeesons approached the group. Because they were not working on the windmill, the Doctor assumed they were security guards. Paiden activated a device on his wrist and the six teleported away. Soon, they were standing in front of a large building resembling a palace.

"Security protocols prevent teleportation to within a certain distance," Paiden told the three travelers.

"All this technology and they're just building windmills now?" Lucas asked quietly.

"We're rapidly burning through our resources, so we need to take a step back for permanent alternatives," Paiden responded. "That has been exacerbating our religious concerns."

"I am Paiden Payega, assistant director of the wind power project," Paiden said as the three reached the entrance. "The high premier is currently meeting with religious groups concerning the project and we have vital information that needs to be shared in that meeting."

The group waited while security called the office chief to the entrance. Paiden explained about the bomb as they walked to the meeting.

"You brought it here?" Leegogis, the office chief, asked.

"It is deactivated now. It's safe," Paiden replied.

The six entered a waiting area outside a conference room. A few Yeesons sat there while Leegogis knocked on the door and entered.

"Sir, I have Paiden Payega, assistant director of the wind power project here. His concern relates to the religious burdens that you are discussing."

The high premier appeared at the door and Paiden approached.

"Leold Czezzegara."

"A pleasure, sir. I am Paiden Payega and this is the Doctor."

The Doctor shook Leold's hand and the three entered the conference room before Leegogis left. As they waited, Donna and Lucas could hear angry voices. Paiden had accused the religious groups of either fostering violent behaviors or doing them directly.

In the waiting area, Donna looked at the three Yeesons sitting near her.

"Hello. I'm Donna Noble and this is Lucas Braddock. What are your names?"

"Celin Brozaka."

"Fesmor Bezidura."

"Leudlim Deggara. What species are you?"

"We're humans," Donna answered, sensing that Lucas was uncertain about engaging in conversation. "We're from Earth."

"Is that far away?" Celin asked.

"Oh, yes, so we don't know much about this planet."

"What is your religion about?" Lucas finally asked.

While Lucas and Donna learned about religion, accusations and arguing continued in the conference room. Soon, the Doctor exited and Lucas and Donna stood up.

" . . . and we are about to celebrate Nation Day. We cannot have such animosity among us!" someone yelled in the conference room.

"What happened? Donna asked.

"They're just arguing back and forth. I told them about the bomb and oddly enough, none of the bombs have gone off. Anyway, I've done what I can here. Let's go."

"Doctor, do you know about the religion in this area?" Lucas asked as the three were exiting the building.

"No, but I'm a bit curious about it now. Did you two find something out?"

"We did, in fact," Donna answered. "The Yeesons worship someone named Tajtu. It's a local religion that's only practiced here, starting about ten years ago."

"The Yeesons here witness miracles every day, Doctor," Lucas added. "It's only here. Plenty of Yeesons have tried explaining away what's happened, but everyone's accepted Tajtu's existence by now."

"What kind of miracles?" the Doctor asked.

"Lots of things have been levitating," Lucas said. "A little while ago, two vehicles were about to crash but some energy field surrounded both and they never touched."

"A woman went to a temple and prayed because she had a dangerous growth in her brain," Donna said. "She was cured immediately. Have you heard of anything like that before? It seems the only limits this Tajtu has is the inability to know what people think and what they say."

"Nanogenes can be programmed to take care of that, but something else would have to levitate and control objects. I don't know a single thing that can do all that. Where's this temple you mentioned?"

"The Yeeson we spoke to said the woman began feeling relief immediately," Donna said as the three walked around the temple.

The Doctor scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver. "There's nothing here that indicates – "

A scream of pain interrupted the Doctor and a figure instantly appeared, clutching his head.

"What is that thing?" the mysterious figure asked. Unlike the Yeesons, the figure looked human, but with silver sclera and a green patch of hair under his chin. He also had pointed free earlobes.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked.

"Tajtu, I presume?" replied the Doctor.

"How do you know me?" Tajtu said.

"The Yeesons worship someone with a Muthlaran name and you are a Muthlaran who can be invisible. Apparently, a very advanced one."

"You're who everyone worships?" Donna asked.

"Don't sound so disappointed," Tajtu replied.

"I'm not."

"You have massive telekinetic powers," the Doctor realized. "You're powerful enough to control vehicles far away and curve light waves around you. What do you do? Soak this area in a telekinetic field so you are aware of everything going on? You're also precise enough to alter someone's physiology."

"I can also destroy you three with a thought. I asked you what that is."

"My sonic screwdriver. It's a neat device. Haven't seen anything like it before, have you?"

Tajtu looked at the Doctor without responding. He contemplated how he could protect himself from the screwdriver. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. This is Donna and Lucas."

Meanwhile, Lucas noticed a group of Yeesons who had arrived but paid no attention to the conversation.

"I've manipulated the light waves around us so they cannot see us. I am also controlling the sound waves," Tajtu said, noticing Lucas' observation.

"That's impressive," the Doctor said. "Among your many feats, you also take apart bombs, don't you? That's the only explanation why that bomb by the windmill had fallen apart inside but remained intact outside."

"Yeesons shouldn't be dying out there."

"You can do something about it," the Doctor commented.

"I'm in no position to do anything."

"You seem to be able to do whatever you want," Lucas said.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tajtu asked hypothetically. "Tell them who I really am and that hilltop idols don't offend me?"

"You'd be undermining their entire religion," Donna said. "You can't take that away from them."

"No, I can't."

"You've thought about this before, haven't you?" the Doctor asked.

"I've long regretted this decision of mine. This all started because I only wanted to help."

"Let's take a step back, then. What were the hilltop idols?"

"They were just pillars to me in some amorphous form, but the Yeesons used a precious ore that they had mined. The ore was poisonous. I could feel the radiation emitting from the pillars so I dispersed the ore into space. After a while, the Yeesons figured out that I didn't like the pillars, so they made it a religious crime to build them."

"Many think it's a religious crime to build anything high on hills," the Doctor noted.

"I know. Several have come to pray that I destroy the windmill being built. One talked about me invoking a sound of judgment."

Tajtu stopped talking as he noticed that a Yeeson had began praying loudly.

". . . our house will not last much longer, but we cannot afford the repairs. Please, Tajtu, help us."

Hearing this plea, Tajtu telekinetically took some dirt and clumped it into the form of a small brick. He set the dirt brick in front of the man as a sign. The man then ran home.

"I'm telekinetically tracking his movements. I'll scan his home when he arrives and fix what needs repair. This is the time of the day when I get the most prayer requests. I'd like you three to go now."

"What time period is this, Doctor?" Donna asked as she, the Doctor, and Lucas were walking away. "I remember meeting Muthlarans before, and they didn't have any powers."

"We're around eight hundred thousand years into your future. By now, Muthlarans have evolved into beings with powers. Only a few like Tajtu are very powerful, though."

"So what now, Doctor? Do we just leave Tajtu to all this?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know."

"Maybe you can pretend to be his priest or something."

"I'd rather avoid that kind of attention."

. . .

The Doctor, Donna, and Lucas returned to the windmill the next day.

"Hello!" Paiden yelled to them.

"Your work continues, Paiden," the Doctor said.

"Of course. The threats of Tajtu's devout will not hinder our work.."

"The rest of the meeting did not go well, then, I reckon."

"No."

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the windmill and the general vicinity.

"Are you checking for more bombs?" Donna asked.

"Yeah. Tajtu might disarm them, but I still want to get rid of them," the Doctor said quietly. He soon noticed a small group of protestors approaching.

"Doctor," Lucas called. "How does Tajtu know what's happening this far away? You said something about a telekinetic field?"

"Imagine being in a room filled with balloons up to the ceiling. If someone across the room moves, you'd know it because of the balloons. Tajtu's telekinesis works in a similar way. His telekinetic powers can manifest as a field of energy he controls. If he fills the country with his energy like balloons, he can tell what's going on."

Suddenly, the Doctor became alarmed by a reading from his sonic screwdriver. "This is signaling a very powerful sonic device over there. Paiden, what's over there?"

"A sonic cannon, Doctor. The government will use them for the Nation Day celebrations."

"That one is building up a lot of power, Paiden."

"Sometimes they overcompensate when they are testing."

The protestors arrived at the windmill. "Directors, it is time to end this work," a protestor yelled. "You cannot resist Tajtu's will."

"I didn't give in to your alarmist views yesterday and I won't today," Paiden replied. "What did you all think would happen? Did you expect us to be suddenly convinced to stop? This area belongs to the government, so get off before I call in the police."

"Your souls are not worth your jobs."

"I said get off!"

Paiden stepped forward and with subtlety unveiled a part of a weapon on his body. Seeing the weapon, the protestors started to slowly depart.

"Tajtu's voice will sweep you to judgment this day," a departing protestor warned.

"Something's wrong," the Doctor realized. He looked at Paiden. "Something's wrong." The Doctor looked around. "When will those cannons be tested?"

"At any time, Doctor."

"Hey!" the Doctor cried to the protestors. "If you think that Tajtu opposes this, you should consult his priestess to be certain."

Everyone looked at the Doctor, perplexed.

"Donna," the Doctor said quietly. "Play the part, keep them occupied here."

"What?" Donna contended, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Trust me."

"You speak deception. Tajtu has no priestess."

"I am her," Donna said, initially with some reluctance. "The troubles of this country has led Tajtu to bring in a priestess from another world."

The Doctor quickly took Lucas aside as Donna tried to argue for the windmills. "Lucas, have you been keeping up with your swimming?"

"Yeah, even on GR Magellan 9."

"You're good with stamina if you run?"

"They're different muscle groups, but I think I can run far if you need."

"Tajtu needs to know that some Yeesons will use the sonic cannons as weapons. If he had problems with my screwdriver, he'll have problems with the cannons. He won't be able to control the energy. Go and tell him. We need to keep this discreet. Only you should go."

Lucas nodded and ran off while Donna continued speaking. She recognized one of the protestors as the man who prayed for home repair.

"You. You prayed for Tajtu to fix your home yesterday."

"I did."

"He gave you a brick of dirt as a sign that he was listening and that he would honor your request. Then he fixed your home, didn't he?"

"I told many people what happened."

The Doctor, meanwhile, began talking to Lutmitton and Paiden.

"How many sonic cannons are there?"

"Eight, "Lutmitton answered.

"This was the second time I heard about the sound of judgment. I think they're going to use the cannons against this windmill and whatever else they're angry about."

"I'll try to send a message to the operators," Paiden said.

"All right! I'm not a priestess," Donna yelled after failing to convince the protestors. "But I don't have to be a priestess to know the difference between a pillar and a windmill! This windmill is going to help a lot of you Yeesons."

A loud boom interrupted everything. In the distance, everyone saw a building falling apart. The protestors immediately ran away.

"If they're gone, this site could be next," the Doctor said. "Everybody run!"

The rest of the Yeesons at the windmill ran away from it along with Donna and the Doctor.

Looking back, the group waited for a cannon to be fired at the windmill site. Instead, Paiden received a message.

"All the cannons are falling apart by themselves."

"Lucas got to Tajtu."

Not too far away, Tajtu levitated in the sky with Lucas, both invisible.

"I think I saw a lot of blades and planks," Lucas told Tajtu about the windmill site. "Perhaps you could put the windmill together. It could be interpreted as a divine sign."

"I don't know how windmills work."

"It doesn't have to work. It just needs to look complete."

The Doctor, Donna, the Yeesons working on the windmills, and the protestors then saw pieces of the windmill moving by themselves into the shape of a completed windmill, prompting a huge smile from the Doctor. Soon, he and Donna seemingly disappeared from sight, though in actuality, Tajtu transported them to him and Lucas.

"You destroyed all the cannons?" the Doctor asked Tajtu.

"Yes, but I was too late. Many have already died."

"You still saved a lot of lives," the Doctor replied.

"So you destroyed the weapons and built the windmill," Donna noted. "The protestors said there would be divine judgment. There could be more."

An idea hit Lucas at that time and he realized what Donna was saying. "This would be a good time to make a statement," Lucas said.

"What kind of statement?" Tajtu inquired.

"That you won't put up with Yeesons hurting each other for you," Donna replied.

"And that maybe you shouldn't be watching over them anymore," Lucas added.

"I see." Tajtu looked over in the direction of his temple. With his powers, he lifted up the temple and the ground around it. After making sure no one was on there, he jettisoned it into space.

"You're free from your responsibilities now," Lucas pointed out.

"And their expectations," Donna added.

"Their religion remains intact," the Doctor finally said, "but from their perspective, you just taught them something and began a new era."

"Thank you, all three of you."

"I'd offer you the chance to join us, Tajtu, but I suspect you'd rather do something else, even if we can travel in time."

"Time travel?"

"Oh yeah," the Doctor replied.

"Doctor, I know I am an anomaly now even among Muthlarans. That is why I left. Perhaps in the future, there will be others whose powers are comparable to mine. Can you take me into that future?"

"I can certainly try."

"Do you have a ship or are one of you the source of time travel capabilities?"

"I have a ship called the TARDIS. It's over in that direction if you want to transport us."

"Yeah, can you do that, please? With the same speed as before?" Lucas requested.

Tajtu smiled. "Of course."

"Hold onto . . . yourselves, guys," Lucas warned as Tajtu transported the trio to the TARDIS, taking a long way to lengthen the thrill of the trip.


	4. Power of the Young Star

**Fear Before Courage**

_Chapter 4: Power of the Young Star_

The equatorial savannah that the Doctor, Lucas, and Donna visited in Cameroon, 2021 did not seem different from what Lucas would have expected to see in 2006. He assumed that fifteen years did not allow enough change in human geography to alter this landscape. The trio spent close to two hours walking around the area, admiring the wildlife that Lucas and Donna had only seen in pictures, videos, or zoos.

Next, they traveled to the planet Ijorin in the year 7, the Doctor, Donna, and Lucas exited the TARDIS, they could already tell where everyone was. They walked towards an enormous crowd that had gathered under a small spaceship. Two human-looking beings descended on a platform. They held a glowing orb the size of their heads.

"I think that's the Young Star," the Doctor informed Donna and Lucas.

Suddenly, a dragon-like animal swept across sky. Under a rider's control, the creature grabbed the Young Star and flew off, evading its pursuers and vanishing out of sight.

"Or rather, that was the Young Star," the Doctor said.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"It's the power source for the entire planet. It's controlled by the Ijora nobles that live on the moon. Every once in a while, the nobles send it down to charge all the power stations on the planet," the Doctor said as the three walked back into the TARDIS.

"The Ijora on the planet won't be able to follow it, but the nobles might. We definitely can."

"Are the nobles more technologically advanced?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, yes. Even without the Young Star, the nobles live a very opulent lifestyle. They act like they're blessing the planet with the Young Star when they bring it down. The planet is rather primitive. Imagine the 1950s on Earth."

The Doctor tinkered with some of the TARDIS' devices.

"So," Lucas said. "Since we didn't undermine religion on Yeeso, can we undermine social structure here?"

The Doctor looked at Lucas without expression, though Donna was slightly amused. Lucas shrugged at his failed attempt at humor.

"The thief is familiar with the Young Star," the Doctor said. "He's using it to mask its energy signature. The TARDIS can still track it, but now the nobles can't."

"Are you going to tell the nobles where he's going?" Donna asked.

"Wouldn't the nobles be suspicious of you like those guys at windmill?" Lucas countered.

"Let's just follow the energy and see what the thief is up to then, shall we?" said the Doctor.

The TARDIS soon landed, and the Doctor stepped out first and saw a network of caves. Lucas and Donna followed the Doctor. They tried to pinpoint the Young Star's location while remaining inconspicuous. The Doctor, who was leading, was suddenly struck by an energy blast that knocked him into Lucas. Three Ijora then appeared, one holding the Young Star.

"You are not Ijora," the one holding the Young Star commented. "Who are you?"

"We're just travelers," the Doctor responded.

"Travelers don't journey the Northern Fire Caves . . ." This Ijora, Lancath, looked at Lucas and Donna. "You were seeking out the Young Star."

"He's telepathic?" Lucas asked the Doctor quietly. "Or is it the power source?"

"I am well adept at handling the Young Star," Lancath answered. "I can use it for many purposes, including mind reading."

"If you're telepathic, then you know we mean no harm," the Doctor said.

"Now you're just lying to yourself and your friends. You seek to return the Young Star to the nobles," Lancath said as he forced the Doctor, Lucas, and Donna from his presence. The Doctor tried to manipulate the Young Star with his sonic screwdriver, but failed.

"Let's go back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, realizing that there was little they could do against the Young Star.

The trio landed in a small village. The Doctor opted to send a series of encrypted and anonymous transmission to the nobles about the thieves' location while Lucas and Donna explored the village.

"I've heard the Doctor mention a couple times that you swim," Donna told Lucas.

"Yeah, I used to swim competitively. Now I just do it because I love it."

"There's a swimming pool in the TARDIS."

Lucas laughed. "Really?"

"Yeah, but I don't suppose you'd want to use that. The TARDIS can take us anywhere. The Doctor told me about these diamond coral reefs in Ghata Floko or something. Maybe they have a beach we can visit."

"Well, umm . . . yeah, that sounds great. So how did you meet the Doctor?"

"I just sort of got teleported into the TARDIS."

"Against your will?"

"My body had some sort of energy that the TARDIS also had, so it pulled us together."

"You must have been terrified."

"I was mostly angry, actually. I was walking down the aisle when it happened, ready to get married and throw that in Nerys' face."

Lucas chuckled quietly at the last part, but he seemed to empathize with the rest.

"You didn't have a pleasant first experience with the Doctor either?" Donna asked, correctly reading Lucas' expressions.

"No. I was terrified. I tried not to be, but I was falling apart."

"Well, you can't always control what you feel."

"My brother did when his life was falling apart, when his life looked like it was ending."

"Did he make it?"

"Yeah, but he was sick for a while and we were all so scared for him."

"More scared than him?"

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, I think that's what all this is about. He was so calm and so accepting and he eventually told me how he could remain so composed. I've been trying my best to emulate that, but it's hard."

"You just need more time."

Lucas nodded, not sure about what to think. Eventually, he and Donna separated to look at different things.

Donna came across a group of Ijora. Because of the reverence given to them and their formal-looking appearance, Donna concluded that they were local leaders. A couple of them were looking towards the spaceship of the nobles.

"Are you all worried about the Young Star?" Donna asked the group.

"The entire planet is concerned," one responded.

"How long can you all last without the Young Star?"

"We are cutting down our uses across the region. We should last eight more dorads."

"Is . . . that a long time? I'm sorry, I'm not from around here."

"It's a long time."

"Then you don't have anything to worry about. I'm sure the nobles will recover it by then with the Doctor's help."

"We're concerned about how the nobles will react. If they reduce the frequency of their trips or change their minds . . . "

"Well, what about other sources of power?"

"Like what?"

"The wind and star," Donna answered. "It's not much, but it's a start."

"Our scientists have considered the wind, but they cannot agree on how to harness its power."

"Well, the Doctor told me a little about windmill mechanics. Do you have something to write on and something to write with?"

Meanwhile, Lucas had also met some Ijora. He struck up a conversation with a teacher.

". . . we call it 'cooperative learning' back home. It's not a new concept, but it can be difficult to coordinate sometimes so it's not as well developed at my school."

An Ijora brought Lucas a green drink with tiny bits of leaves suspended in the liquid. "Drink this. It is one of our specialties."

"Thank you very much." Lucas found the drink sweet with a flavor that reminded him of grapefruit.

Everyone suddenly heard and then saw four spacecrafts zooming through the sky.

"The nobles' warriors!" someone cried.

"I think I should get back to the Doctor," Lucas said. "Thank you for the drink and thank you for talking to me. Good luck with your next teaching set."

Lucas ran into the TARDIS and was soon joined by Donna.

"They seemed to have gotten your message," Lucas told the Doctor.

"Yeah, no one should be able to track it to me, though we should still go to the caves," the Doctor responded as he set the TARDIS in motion.

Lucas started to feel queasy, but he ignored it. The TARDIS had landed near the cave entrance and the Doctor and Donna were making their way to the doors.

In the distance, the group saw ground troops firing into the cave while four personal spacecrafts circled around it. Lancath maintained control of the Young Star and kept the soldiers at bay. Blasts kept on exchanging between the two sides.

"The nobles were too confident if they sent in these forces," the Doctor remarked. He noticed one soldier was pointing at the cave ceiling and pointed his sonic screwdriver at that soldier's gun. The screwdriver amplified the gun's blast unexpectedly, causing the cave to start collapsing. Lancath and his men fled into the cave as the entrance closed.

"Hmmm . . . not what I was expecting, but this will still work," the Doctor said as he turned around towards the TARDIS console. Loud buzzing drew his attention back outside. "So what's what they have planned," he said before going to the console and activating the controls.

"Where are we going?" Donna asked.

"Into the caves."

The Doctor, Lucas, and Donna ran around the caves before finally finding Lancath and one of his fellow thieves.

"Where's the other one?" the Doctor asked.

"He was shot when he was distracted by the cave in," Lancath answered. He looked intently at the trio.

"You know I'm not lying when I say the soldiers have upgraded to Mulgand charges," the Doctor said. "You might be adept at handling the Young Star, but you can't face twenty soldiers with those charges." The doctor continued looking at Lancath. "You're a noble, aren't you?"

Lancath's teammate, Astoriet, spoke. "He was until he was cast out for supporting change in the social structure."

"You don't like the nobles' privilege," Lucas commented.

"No."

"This isn't the way. I can help you both, but you need to give up the Young Star."

Everyone started to hear buzzing through the cave walls.

"Please," the Doctor said. "I can take it to the moon for you."

Light started to pierce through the walls.

"You're running out of time," the Doctor continued.

"No," Lancath finally answered.

The soldiers finally broke through and the battle continued. The Doctor, Lucas, and Donna retreated into the TARDIS and could only hear what was happening outside. Within minutes, the three heard knocking. Donna answered, revealing a soldier holding the Young Star.

"I am Suwotna. We could not have retrieved this without your assistance, we realize. We know you sent us the transmission. A telepathic scan showed us how you conversed with the traitor and his co-conspirators." Suwotna handed the Young Star to someone who was not dressed in soldier attire, one of the Ijora who was transporting the Young Star from the space ship to the planet when the Doctor and his companions arrived.

This Ijora held up the Young Star. "I am Ritvero. Please do not be alarmed as I teleport us all to our moon."

"That's not really necessary," the Doctor tried to explain.

"It is right for us to express our gratitude."

"You're going to find my ship a bit bigger than you expected."

"I have already observed the additional dimension and compensated for it. I have been training my entire life to handle the Young Star. I am very skilled."

"So that ritual was just for show, then?" Donna asked very quietly to herself.

Next to her, Lucas' queasiness grew and it started to bother him. With everyone arriving on the moon, however, he decided that he needed to push that aside, particularly when he heard Lancath yelling.

"This plutocracy must not last!" Lancath cried. "You cannot oppress the planet anymore!"

Following Ritvero's lead, the Doctor, Lucas, and Donna approached an elderly Ijora.

"King Helsholm, I presume. I'm the Doctor. This is Donna and Lucas."

"Thank you, the Doctor, Donna, Lucas."

"You have some dissension among the nobles," Lucas noted out loud. He figured speaking would distract him from his sick feeling.

"Not anymore," Helsholm answered.

"Because you eject dissenters?" Lucas asked.

"Ritvero brought you here out of gratitude," Helsholm pointed out as he was becoming off-put.

"Well, we didn't want to come."

The Doctor and Donna were surprised, yet amused, that Lucas was challenging the king.

"We are grateful, King Helsholm," the Doctor finally said to prevent the tensions from escalating too far. "Can you tell us, though, why Lancath is complaining?"

"It's just silliness, Doctor. The taxes we levy are impoverishing a growing population, but that is no concern."

"Why not?" Donna asked.

"There are many others who can pay in their stead in exchange for servitude."

"Slavery?" the Doctor asked, though he already knew the answer.

"It's a small price to pay for the Young Star."

The Doctor, Donna, and Lucas looked at each other.

"At this rate, I'll bet the Young Star originally belonged to the Ijora on the planet," Lucas said snidely. His eyes widened when Helsholm did not react, suggesting confirmation. Lucas looked at the Doctor. "Can't they get energy in other ways?"

"They don't have the means," the Doctor responded. "Let's go."

"Just like that?" Helsholm asked.

"You've expressed your gratitude," the Doctor said as he closed the TARDIS doors. Soon, the TARDIS dematerialized.

Inside, the Doctor didn't notice that Lucas had his hands on his stomach. However, he did notice that Donna wanted to say something.

"What is it Donna?"

"Doctor, does the planet have the same resources as Yeeso for building windmills?"

"Yeah, but they won't know how to make them."

"Well, I think I might have taught them."

"Ha! This could be the start of something new. The planet might become independent of the Young Star one day."

Lucas smiled. "So you did undermine the social structure after all. Or will." Lucas' smile then faded and he dropped to the floor.

The Doctor, along with Donna, ran to Lucas' side.

"Lucas, what is it?"

"Everything is on fire, everything."

"Did you touch anything strange on Ijorin? Consume anything?"

"A sweet drink. It was green with bits of leaves."

"What did it taste like?"

"Citrus."

The Doctor was panicked by Lucas' last response. He scanned Lucas with his sonic screwdriver. "Lucas, close your eyes."

Lucas obeyed. "What's . . . happening?"

"That drink is poisonous to human physiology. Most of your body will become paralyzed, the parts in contact with air, including your eyelids. You won't be able to open or close them; it's better to have them closed now."

The Doctor lifted up Lucas' shoulders. "Donna, help me."

Donna grabbed Lucas' legs and the two carried Lucas to a pod in another room. The Doctor set Lucas down for a while so he could open the pod and then he picked Lucas up again and laid him down on his back. Lucas was no longer responsive to any external stimuli.

"Lucas, I know you can still hear me. This machine will put you in stasis. It can remove the poison and heal you. It's designed for this class of chemicals. You'll go to sleep and won't feel anything. This will take some time, but it will fix you and you will be back to normal when you wake up. I promise."

Donna picked up Lucas' hands from his side and put them together on his belly. "Don't be afraid, Lucas."

The Doctor closed the pod and a hissing signified that Lucas was now in stasis.

"Doctor, Lucas and I were talking about Ghata Floko and the diamond coral reefs. Do they have nice beaches there?"

"Yeah, they're beautiful," the Doctor answered without enthusiasm.

"Lucas and I were thinking about going there then. I don't suppose the two of us should anymore."

"I think we should go, Donna." The Doctor smiled. "When Lucas wakes up, we can tell him all about it and then go again. We'll know the best places to go and show him around. Let's hit the beach."

Donna smiled. "All right."

"You should get ready."

Donna left the Doctor alone with Lucas. The Doctor continued to look at Lucas until he felt something on his psychic paper. He pulled it out.

THE LIBRARY

COME AS SOON AS YOU CAN

"Perhaps we should stop by the Library first," the Doctor said quietly before leaving.


	5. My Lady

**Fear Before Courage**

Note: The next two chapters take place after Planet of the Dead and before The Waters of Mars.

_Chapter 5: My Lady_

The Doctor was at the TARDIS console when a quiet alarm went off. He smiled and ran to where Lucas laid in stasis. After pushing buttons to make the pod open, the Doctor left.

After nearly an hour, the Doctor returned and put his right hand on Lucas' left shoulder. "Lucas."

Lucas slowly stirred awake.

"How are you feeling?"

Lucas took a moment. "Fine. I'm good, Doctor. I felt groggy a second ago, but I feel completely refreshed now."

The Doctor smiled. "The pod technology compensates for a lot of human physiological factors. It also made sure your muscles didn't experience atrophy."

Lucas slowly sat up. "That drink is all gone now?"

"You're perfectly healthy."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Not too long. Just a little while."

"Oh, okay. That's . . . helpful. Where's Donna?"

The Doctor recounted for Lucas Donna's tragic fate, but he made sure to emphasize Donna's brilliance during the crisis and how she saved the universe. Eventually, the pair returned to the TARDIS control room and landed somewhere.

"I set it at random so we could be anywhere," the Doctor said. He let Lucas open the doors.

The Doctor and Lucas stepped out onto a pristine beach. Small islands were scattered throughout their field of vision. Lucas chuckled solemnly at the irony of being at a beach without Donna.

They walked towards the water until Lucas looked back. He was startled by the appearance of a large spaceship on the island. As he and the Doctor walked around the ship, he noticed that many other islands housed ships.

"This is Nud-Lezl, 51st century. It's a human colony."

"You know this place?" Lucas asked.

"I know of it. Someone's recruited engineers to build a group of ships, a small fleet of different vehicles. What these engineers don't know is that they're competing against each other. The truth is only one design will be used. Don't tell anyone that." The Doctor looked around. "There are a lot more ships here than I remember hearing about, though."

"What happened to the extras? Did they drop out?"

"I don't know. We might find out."

"You two!" a human voice cried nearby. "Who are you?"

The Doctor held up his psychic paper.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm here with supplies and this is my logistics assistant Lucas Braddock."

"We didn't ask for supply assistance. We're nearly complete."

"We were told our employer, and yours too, believes you needed some computer hardware." The Doctor addressed Lucas without breaking eye contact with the other man. "Ask him his name," the Doctor whispered.

"Just to make sure," Lucas said. "What's your name?"

"Madrox Loy."

"Yup, that's the name we have," the Doctor said. "Tell you what, this could be a clerical error, but we're here now so you might as well take advantage.

"What do you have?" Madrox asked.

"Let me double check."

The Doctor entered the TARDIS with Lucas following.

"I'm sure I've collected some era-appropriate chips that I can spare," the Doctor remarked as he rummaged around.

"If they're in competition, will what you give Madrox give him an advantage?"

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I wouldn't want to interfere."

Lucas laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing . . . "

The Doctor and Lucas eventually went back to Madrox. "Four six-point data chips, a high-conductivity hair cable, and two dry cells."

"I could use an additional dry cell for backup. I lack backups for many of my parts. I have no use for the rest."

"A definite clerical error, then, but you can still have the cell," the Doctor said, smiling, as he gave the cell to Madrox.

"Thank you."

"So when do you expect to be all done?" Lucas asked.

"The last major task is to finish programming some of the systems and we can do without that for a test flight. She'll be a great part of the fleet."

"Does she have a name?" Lucas looked at the Doctor. "Do they still give names to ships?" he whispered.

"I don't have one yet. I thought about my late wife, but that could be strange. This girl will have a name soon, though. I'll have one for her before she officially joins the fleet."

Lucas was interested by the ship's unique design. "When do you plan on testing her?"

"Tonight."

"Doctor, can we stay for that?"

"Sure."

The Doctor and Lucas spent most of the day in the TARDIS. The Doctor recounted for Lucas everything that happened while he was in stasis. As the time came for Madrox to test his ship, the pair left and saw Madrox kneeling in prayer with his arms stretched above his head.

"Good luck," Lucas told Madrox after Madrox finished and was ready to board his ship.

"You too."

The Doctor and Lucas looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.

"The flashes." Madrox saw confusion on both the Doctor's and Lucas' faces. "You must know. When many of us test our ships together, flashes appear all around us, destroying objects. Some of the ships even disappear."

Lucas' mouth dropped. "And you still test together?"

"Joining the fleet is worth the risk."

Madrox entered his ship and it started to move.

"TARDIS, please, Doctor?"

"Yeah, definitely."

From the TARDIS, the Doctor and Lucas saw many ships hovering in the sky or flying slowly.

"Why do they take this risk, Doctor?"

"I think the combined decrease in temperature and ultraviolet activity when the star sets charges ions in this planet's atmosphere in a way that's ideal for testing. We shouldn't stop them."

Yellow flashes started to appear throughout the screen that the Doctor and Lucas used. The Doctor turned two knobs on the TARDIS console.

"The energy signature is close to what the TARDIS detected with the Young Star. I've been able to map the signatures and locate a potential source for the energy." The Doctor continued to fiddle around with the TARDIS' controls. "There's something in this planet's crust . . . a small sphere. It's powerful."

"Doctor, when were we when we were in Ijorin?"

"The 74th century." The Doctor looked at Lucas as he realized what Lucas was thinking.

"This could be the Young Star."

The Doctor and Lucas heard rumbling from outside. "They're all landing," the Doctor said. "It's over."

The duo exited and saw burn marks on Madrox's ship. He eventually came out and inspected it.

"Nothing major, then," Madrox commented. "Is your offer for six-point chips still valid, Doctor? One of them isn't happy right now."

The Doctor gave Madrox all four.

"Thank you."

The Doctor looked around. "Do you have reports of ships disappearing this time?"

"It's all logged into a central computer system, Doctor."

"Can you show me?"

The Doctor examined the data on the ship that disappeared during the last test as well as nine others which had previously vanished.

"They all used correlated modules. That's why those ships disappeared."

"Are you using one, Madrox?" Lucas asked.

"No. I certainly considered it, but I chose a free circuit module instead."

"So how do you think everything is fitting together, Doctor?"

"The activation of the correlated circuits triggers something within the Young Star, prompting it to seek out and absorb the circuits and anything associated with it."

"Young Star?"

"It's a ball of energy we found in the planet's crust. Are there any more tests planned for tonight, Madrox?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes, another group of nine will go up. I believe four of them use correlated modules."

"Lucas, come on!" the Doctor cried as he ran to the TARDIS. The ship took the two to another part of the planet. "The Young Star should be near us," the Doctor said as he activated a series of scanners. "It's moved up a lot. It's close to the surface."

Using some equipment from the TARDIS, the Doctor and Lucas dug a hole near some ruins and were able to reach the Young Star.

"I shouldn't touch it, should I?" Lucas asked. He was closest to the Young Star.

"Don't take the risk. I will."

The Doctor took the Young Star and placed it in a container that he brought with him. He and Lucas then used the TARDIS to return to Madrox's ship.

Madrox looked alarmed when they saw him.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked.

"More flashes. They're intermittent, but no one's testing anything. Our hestet cells are glowing, too."

"Doctor," Lucas said. "Is it possible that the Young Star is more sensitive and does more as it approaches the surface? If so . . ."

"That's what the container is for, Lucas. This shouldn't be happening."

Flashes appeared again.

"Madrox, can you communicate with all the others?"

"Yes, I've told them about the correlated modules, but they've been unable to switch off those modules, the hestet cells, or even their ships since these flashes began appearing again."

"But all the ships are remotely connected to a central station, right? That station can turn off all the systems of all the ships with an override."

"It's on that island," Madrox said, pointing to a distant island. "All of our technology has gone into our ships, so we only have a boat that's going that way now."

"I don't see any boat."

"It has not passed here yet."

The Doctor then noticed that the Young Star began to glow more than it ever did in the TARDIS and he became alarmed.

"Lucas, swim. Go to that tower. You'll find an access panel that has a green border and red dots. Open the panel with this sonic screwdriver. Inside, you should see four buttons and a lever. Push the buttons and then the pull the lever. Go as fast as you can."

Lucas took the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and dashed off.

"Madrox, do you have any thread thrusters?"

Madrox showed the Doctor where they were in his ship.

"I'm sorry, but I'll fix this," the Doctor said as he ripped out three of the thrusters and ran to the TARDIS console with them.

"Oh, my girl . . . " Madrox exclaimed at the damage.

The Doctor connected the thrusters to the TARDIS and connected many other systems and wires between the TARDIS and Madrox's ship.

"What are you doing, Doctor?"

"I'm linking our two ships so yours will still have power when Lucas pulls that lever and manipulating your thrusters so I can do this!"

Madrox didn't hear the Doctor's response. He had noticed the size of the TARDIS' interior and he was gaping. He also didn't see the Doctor directing the thrusters at the Young Star. After several minutes, during which time Lucas had succeeded with his task, the thrusters used the TARDIS' power to teleport the Young Star away.

The Doctor sighed in relief and disconnected everything.

Lucas came back and he watched the Doctor fix the damage the Doctor caused to Madrox's ship. The three then found out that twenty-two ships disappeared before Lucas turned everything off.

"Good as new," the Doctor said.

"That's a relief."

"Your girl is fine, now. It's even a little better than before, if I may say so myself. I altered some of your systems and made them more compatible with human physiology. They should be more responsive and controlled now."

"So what happened with the Young Star, Doctor?" Lucas asked.

"I teleported it away. Any guesses where?"

Lucas smiled. "Will they be all right?"

"They have nothing there now that the Young Star can use or take. I reckon whoever learns how to fully control it will start the social stratification."

"So did you find out anything about it?"

"Not a thing, but maybe the ruins we saw had something to do with it."

"Where did you find the sphere?" Madrox asked.

The Doctor showed Madrox the area on a map.

"Were there circles on those ruins?" Madrox asked.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Legend says that a woman became ill. Her mate found no way to cure the disease itself, but he implanted mechanical parts into her body to keep her alive, including energy plaques that absorbed energy around her. Eventually, the woman still died, but many of her organs remained intact. Her husband buried her intact and built a ruin in tribute. He inscribed circles into the ruins to represent eternity in the hopes that she would somehow exist forever in another form."

"When did this supposedly happen?"

"Millions of years ago, according to the stories, but archeologists from millennia ago erected duplicate ruins in tribute and people still do that today when old ruins fall. I don't suppose there's any truth to that, though."

"Well, that would depend on the species that lived here during that time. With all the time that passed, anything could have happened, especially if those plaques kept on accumulating power."

"Well, I should return to work on my girl . . . perhaps now that she's practically finished, I should use another term for her, "Madrox said, not giving too much thought to the Doctor's response.

"What was your wife's name?" Lucas asked.

"Callenie."

"Did she have any strong interests?"

"Lots. Politics, gardening, literature, architecture, lots of things."

"Do you know a lot about Earth human history?"

"A bit. I learned a lot about Ancient Europe."

"Does the name Madame du Pompadour mean anything to you?" Lucas asked. He didn't notice a look of recognition sweep across the face of the Doctor, who immediately turned to look at Madrox's ship.

"Yes, I believe her interests were similar to Callenie's." Madrox smiled. "I think that naming my ship after her would be a good tribute to both women."

"Well, that's settled, then," the Doctor said. "We should probably head off."

"Good luck with the fleet, Madrox," Lucas said.

"Take care, Lucas, Doctor."

"You saved a lot of lives today," the Doctor remarked.

"It's a good feeling, Doctor, one you must be feeling all the time."

The Doctor partially smiled as he set the TARDIS to take them to their next destination.


	6. Pathology

**Fear Before Courage**

Short chapter this time. I just wanted to move the overall story along.

_Chapter 6: Pathology_

The Doctor and Lucas visited a few sites after leaving Nud-Lezl. They saw the glass leaves on Azareen's capital trees, the Wall of Echoes in Tegrovia, and lakes in Migmabb in which Nobic plants incubated the fetuses of a mammalian-like life form.

Next, they arrived at a grassland in Caltracobrill in which the grass stalks stood over eight feet tall It was an otherwise unspectacular area; Lucas only saw hills of turquoise grass around him and a silver steel tower in the distance. However, he appreciated the serenity of the setting and the smell of the grass despite the heat. A hot breeze swept through the area, filling the air with what looked like pollen.

Lucas looked at the Doctor and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm basically melting in my tank top. I can't imagine what you must be feeling dressed in a full suit and jacket."

"I'm fine like this. Is this place too hot?"

"No, I'm definitely not complaining." Lucas noticed the beginning of a low-tech caravan coming over a hill, though he couldn't make out too much with the grass obstructing much of his view. "We're not alone anymore, Doctor."

"They're Brillings," the Doctor realized.

Lucas went and stood next to the Doctor as both watched the caravan arrive. The Doctor noticed a look in Lucas' eyes.

"What are you thinking, Lucas?"

"I'm just wondering if they'd noticed us if we stood really, really still."

The Doctor smiled as the caravan began passing by. Lucas saw bipedal beings with crested heads. The tops of those heads had four small holes that opened and closed in unison. Two oval eyes covered most of the sides of the heads and another covered the front. Their orientation reminded Lucas of the Doctor's description of the Ood. The backs of the Brillings' heads were covered with fuzzy, short, white hair. The Brillings relied on two long arms for many of their tasks. Lucas also noticed that many Brillings were lying on their backs on boards covered with translucent white sheets.

Four Brillings finally took notice of the Doctor and Lucas and suddenly leapt towards them, spears in hands.

"Stop the march!" a Brilling called.

The Doctor and Lucas held their hands up.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor . . . "

"I do not care," a Brilling interrupted. This Brilling repeatedly looked up and down the Doctor's and Lucas' bodies. "You will serve us," the Brilling said to Lucas.

Lucas glanced at the Doctor apprehensively.

"I'm not so sure – " the Doctor began before being interrupted again.

"Remain quiet. You, step forward."

"What's going on?" Lucas asked the Brilling.

The Brilling did not answer. It looked as if it wanted to tell Lucas to remain quiet as well.

"We are travelers and don't know what you are doing. If you want me to 'serve' you, I need to know what's going on so I can do it well," Lucas said. "Don't you think?" He looked at the Doctor.

"I am Murtodd. We are transporting our ill to the Square Gardens. One of our assistants has fallen sick and must be replaced."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in exposing myself to whatever is making you all sick," Lucas responded.

Murtodd held his spear to Lucas' neck and pressed it.

"The alternative is death."

"Lucas," the Doctor called. "It's all right." The Doctor looked at Murtodd. "We'll go with you."

"We only need one."

"You can take me too," the Doctor responded. "Just in case. Besides, my presence lets you two understand each other. Without me, there's no translation."

"Our resources were already limited before Halshyen fell sick."

"I won't use any. I promise." The Doctor prepared to get his psychic paper, but then saw that he didn't need to use it.

The Brilling march continued with Lucas following basic instructions for looking after Halshyen. The Doctor kept him company.

"Do you know anything about the Square Gardens?" Lucas asked the Doctor.

"I've never heard of them before."

Halshyen started to stir, drawing Lucas' attention. Lucas stared at her for a few seconds. "How are you feeling?" he finally said. "I've been told this liquid is soothing during the early stages of your illness."

"I'm . . . coping. Who are you?"

"I'm Lucas. This is the Doctor."

"A healer?"

"Not this time, sorry," the Doctor replied.

"They said we are going to the Square Gardens," Lucas mentioned. "How far away is that?"

"We were nineteen ennings away when I fell too ill. I suppose there are four ennings left."

Lucas looked at the Doctor.

"I reckon a little over an hour," the Doctor said.

"They forced me into this for an hour's support?"

"We are all very vulnerable under this threat," Halshyen said. "I am highly grateful for your presence."

Lucas' demeanor softened as he saw how weak Halshyen was. "Perhaps you should limit your talking and save your strength."

The Doctor noticed that Halshyen had a wound that was recently bandaged.

The caravan finally reached its destination. Lucas saw tall and thick walls and a fortified gate guarded by eighteen Brillings. In contrast, the interior was a green haven of tranquility. Tall tree-like plants decorated the walkways and large square patches of green scattered across the area. Each patch housed a variety of colorful and aromatic plants. On many of the patches laid individual Brillings in the care of others.

"Is this a hospital or a quarantine zone?" Lucas asked.

"It could be both," answered the Doctor.

Murtodd approached the Doctor and Lucas after everything and everyone was loaded from the caravan and settled.

"You will stay with us healthy Brillings in another sector until we are deemed clean."

"Not to point out the obvious," the Doctor said, "but we aren't Brillings. We don't have the risk of getting sick."

"We will not risk the spread of illness. We will examine you for cuts and then monitor your blood."

"Cuts?" Lucas asked.

"Halshyen had one," the Doctor said. "I suppose that's the mode of transmission."

"Yes, but we are concerned there will be others and we are still unable to determine the source. We have lost lives as a result and I do not expect Halshyen to survive. We are currently looking at electromagnetic radiation as an additional causal factor."

The Doctor held up his psychic paper. "Well, good luck with that. We were actually already cleared by one of your doctors. Apparently, our physiology made the process very quick." The Doctor smiled in contrast to Murtodd's firm stance. Eventually, Murtodd led them to the gates and the Doctor and Lucas exited.

"Are we really safe from getting sick, Doctor?"

"Probably. If there is a trace of contamination, the TARDIS filter will take care of it."

A warm breeze came across the Doctor and Lucas, releasing tiny specks from the grass. Later during the walk back, another breeze warmed the pair and blew the particles around. The Doctor and Lucas continued walking until a realization dawned on the Doctor and he stopped.

"The pollen . . . " the Doctor said.

"Oh, I was wondering if that was pollen."

"Before every breeze, a green light appeared in those silver towers around us. They're controlling the winds at fixed intervals. Based on those intervals, when Halshyen became sick, and a hypothetical microbe incubation period, I reckon it's the pollen making the Brillings sick." The Doctor scanned the grass with his sonic screwdriver and then ran back to the Square Gardens with Lucas following.

The two finally reached the gate but the guards prevented their entry.

"You have to let us in!" the Doctor demanded.

The guards pointed spears at the Doctor.

"We're sick!" Lucas said. "Let us in!"

Upon entering, the Doctor went to a patient and scanned him. "I was right."

"What is happening here?" a voice cried.

The Doctor looked up to see a Brilling marching over to them.

"It's the pollen from the grass," the Doctor said. "When Brillings get cut they are exposed to the pollen that the breezes distribute."

"We've tested the pollen before and found no such evidence."

The Doctor refrained from responding.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lucas," Lucas replied. He had noticed that the Doctor did not identify himself and thought that was deliberate. "This is a friend of mine."

"How much pollen did you test?" the Doctor asked.

"What do you mean?"

"A genetic mutation, even though rare in a population, could explain many things. You need to test more samples."

The Brilling considered the possibility and then left the Doctor and Lucas.

"Come on, Lucas."

The Doctor and Lucas arrived at the gate again and the Doctor held up the psychic paper.

"We made a mistake. We're not sick at all. See?"

…

Back at the TARDIS, the Doctor used a device to confirm his suspicion that a mutation had entered the grass gene pool and made the Brillings ill.

"It should be easy for them to create a vaccine and maybe weed out the mutants."

Lucas looked at a silver tower in the distance. "There haven't been any breezes in a while. Maybe they figured it out."

The Doctor then returned to the TARDIS and Lucas followed.

"So, where to next? Any place you want to go?"

"Actually, Doctor, I was thinking about going home. I've begun missing it."

"Lucas, I'm sorry about what the Brillings did."

"That's not it, Doctor. I'm not upset about that. I'm not upset about anything. I just think it's time for me to resume my old life." Lucas chuckled slightly to himself. "I wouldn't want to forget physics or how to teach high school science."

The Doctor looked at Lucas and saw that Lucas was being truthful.

"Okay."

"I think it'd be nice to see you again, though, and maybe travel again."

Lucas walked around the console. "Maybe you could pick me up in five years, if you can find me."

The Doctor smiled. "I can do that." The Doctor then set the controls to take Lucas back to Maryland in 2006.

The TARDIS soon landed and Lucas stepped out after the Doctor confirmed that they landed the day Lucas teleported to GR Magellan 9.

"Lucas, during your vacations, don't go looking for Donna. I know how much you like her."

"You know, it's because of her that I started trusting you on GR Magellan 9."

"I know."

"I remember what you said about timelines and her condition, Doctor. I won't look for her."

The Doctor smiled. "Take care of yourself, Lucas."

"See you in five years."


	7. Goodbye and Hello

**Fear Before Courage**

Here's another short chapter. It wasn't supposed to be a real story. Initially, it was just going to be one short narrative with the Doctor, but then I thought about resolving a dangling plot from chapter 2.

_Chapter 7: Goodbye and Hello_

The Doctor stayed at the edge of the school's grounds. It was 3:44 pm and he had been waiting for Lucas to appear. The Doctor didn't know why he waited to pick Lucas up in 2011. He could have gone at anytime. Now, with his regeneration looming, he regretted not having done so. He could have gone to 2011 now, but he didn't want Lucas to rejoin him under these circumstances. He opted instead to visit Lucas shortly after Lucas resumed his life as a teacher in Maryland.

A school door opened and the Doctor saw Lucas going to his car. Hiding behind a tree, he watched as Lucas started to drive home. The Doctor then headed back to the TARDIS hoping that whatever would happen next would not disallow him from picking up Lucas in five years.

…

Lucas continued his drive home and came upon a red traffic light. No one else was around and Lucas was surprised by a green humanoid running across his rear view mirror. Lucas got out of his car to verify what he thought he saw. The humanoid then noticed Lucas.

The humanoid began to speak but Lucas couldn't understand anything. However, he did hear his name, and the humanoid had called him Luke.

A shot zipped through the air. Alarmed, the humanoid kept teleporting away at short distances. Lucas turned to the source of the shot. "Jack!" he said in shock.

Before Lucas' eyes was Jack Harkness. He was accompanied by a slightly shorter man, a woman of East Asian descent, and a woman with darker skin and long wavy hair.

"You know me?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know the rest. Who are you all?"

"We're Torchwood," Owen replied. "Now how about we postpone the formalities and take care of that Chronoid?"

Lucas' mouth dropped when Owen identified the humanoid. He looked at his car and then back at Torchwood. "Get in," he said, not seeing any vehicle that could be Torchwood's.

With Jack beside him and Owen, Toshiko, and Suzie crammed in the backseat, Lucas drove after the Chronoid.

"Those teleportation bursts take up a lot of power. It won't get too far," Jack said.

"It's gone far enough that we've had to skip over the Atlantic," Suzie commented.

"Well, we've been at it for over a week," Tosh said.

"We were lucky we found it," Jack said. "I think it landing in Cardiff was a fluke. We wouldn't have detected it otherwise."

"So why this path?" Suzie asked.

"It's after me." Lucas finally said.

"What?" Jack replied.

"In the future, two races are at war. I wrote something when I was an undergrad that one side was able to benefit from, so the other side sent Chronoids back to stop me from publishing it."

"It's already been published?" Tosh asked.

"Yeah, the Chronoids won't be very effective."

"It might try to jump again into the past," Jack commented.

"When you said they won't be very effective, what does that mean?" Owen asked.

"Eight Chronoids went back in time and they all failed to get to me. They were eventually recalled and I think their side lost the war."

"Good for you, but we still need to contain the situation," Jack said. "I don't suppose you know if they caused any kind of destruction while they were in the past."

"That I don't know."

"We need to contain it, then, and be inconspicuous about it. The US government wouldn't be too happy if they knew we're here."

"I don't think our government would be thrilled, either," Suzie added.

Lucas continued driving, trying to find the Chronoid. Jack had wondered if his Doctor was somehow involved, but he felt he couldn't ask at this time.

"So how do you know me?" Jack asked.

"You helped me in the future. I somehow got transported to the 41st century and I ran into you and you helped me . . . " Lucas trailed off as the Doctor's lessons about time entered his mind. "Should I be telling you this?"

"Probably not." Jack not only wanted to avoid complications with time travel, but he was also concerned about his teammates learning too much about him despite his curiosities.

"There it is!" Suzie cried.

Everyone saw the Chronoid in a baseball field crouched over a machine. They got out of the car and ran towards it. They realized they were too late when they found themselves in an energy bubble with the Chronoid. Then, they saw they were in another location.

"Why does everything look translucent?" Owen asked.

The Chronoid got up and Jack punched it in the face. The Chronoid keeled over and Jack punched it again, knocking it out cold. "I think it's us. We've traveled back in time, but not completely. This was already shoddy work, but the Chronoid really pushed the device way too far beyond its capacity. So, we're slightly out of time, but we'll go back to our present soon. We just need to wait it out."

"How far back are we?"

Lucas looked around and something specific caught his eye. "We've only gone back a few days."

Tosh looked at the Chronoid's device. "Jack, there's a problem. This is building up a tremendous amount of power."

Jack looked at it. "What is wrong with these idiots trying to master time travel? This thing will explode and take out the block if we don't release the energy."

"It's charging up to teleport the Chronoid back further in time," Tosh observed.

Jack then started tinkering with the device. "Well, now it's going to take it back into the future." Jack pointed the device at the Chronoid and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"If I send him to the future like this, we might be stuck here in the past in this phase."

"Can you make it take us back to our present first?" Suzie asked.

"This thing is falling apart because of the energy. The best thing to do is to direct the teleportation energy into another object. The device will then break and reset, sending us back into our present and the Chronoid back into its present."

"What can we send without compromising timelines?" Tosh asked.

Lucas suddenly took the device from Jack's hands and aimed it outside the energy bubble. "Me," he simply said.

As the Lucas of the past disappeared, Jack's hypothesis was confirmed. The group found themselves back in the field in their present in normal form. Then, the Chronoid and the device disappeared, presumably back to the 43rd century.

"I guess that's how I ended up on GR Magellan 9," Lucas said before looking at Jack. "Whoops, I shouldn't have said that."

Jack merely shrugged in response.

Lucas later drove Torchwood back to their rental vehicle, roughly a mile from where he saw them and the Chronoid. Jack stayed behind in Lucas' car while Suzie, Tosh, and Owen left.

"Do you know the Doctor? Was he involved in all this?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I met him because of the Chronoids. Then I met him again on GR Magellan 9 and traveled with him for a bit."

"Do you have any way to reach him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. How do you know him?"

"I traveled with him for a bit, too, and I've been trying to get back in contact."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I don't know how to do that. He'll come back to see me in five years, though. I don't know if that helps or not. It is a long time."

"Not for me. I might be around in five years, then."

Lucas nodded.

"So, me in the future. Do you know if I had teleported to that time period or if I had been living in that era for a while?"

Not knowing about Jack's immortality, Lucas was slightly confused. "Sorry, no."

"Well, regardless, how did I look?"

"Like you do now."

"Great." Jack then got out of the car.

"Good luck with finding the Doctor, Jack. If you don't find him, I guess I'll see you in five years."

"Yeah, and if I do, I'll see you in two thousand years."

Lucas smiled. "Bye."

Jack rejoined his team.

"Did you retcon him? Suzie asked.

"Don't have to. Time to get back to Cardiff."

With that, Torchwood headed to the airport and Lucas returned to his apartment.


	8. Relative Wind

**Fear Before Courage**

This chapter is completely different from the rest of the story. For starters, it can arguably be classified into a different genre. Also, the Doctor and the companions play almost a supporting role in the actual plot. The rest of Fear Before Courage takes place after The Curse of the Black Spot and before The Doctor's Wife.

_Chapter 8: Relative Wind_

The TARDIS dematerialized in a field with soccer goal posts. The Doctor exited with Amy and Rory and crossed a road. Amy noticed a roundabout to their left with flowers arranged into an M.

Rory, on the other hand was looking to his right. "Where are we Doctor? What are we looking at?"

"Well, you're looking at Glenn L. Martin Hall. I'm looking at the Physics Building.

"Cheeky today," Amy commented.

The three entered the Physics Building. While Amy and Rory looked around, the Doctor located Lucas.

"Lucas!" the Doctor cried.

Lucas looked at his visitor. "Hello. Do I know you?"

"Five years, Lucas."

Lucas' eyes widened. "Doctor."

The Doctor smiled.

"You've changed again."

"Yes. Are you ready?"

Lucas laughed. "I've been keeping a bag here at work and another in my car for a while now. Let me just finish writing this paragraph."

Lucas soon met Rory and Amy and the four departed.

…

Under a bright star, the Doctor, Lucas, Amy, and Rory saw buildings in poor shape when they exited the TARDIS. Many were missing entire walls; a few others were reduced to rubble. In the distance, the four heard explosions.

"A war zone?" Amy asked, annoyed. "You brought us to a war zone?"

"This part seems safe," the Doctor answered.

"That's not comforting, Doctor," Amy replied.

"We can take this path here," Lucas said, pointing to his right. "A lot of the buildings are mostly intact. We can use them if we need cover."

The Doctor smiled at Lucas. "Come on."

Rory took Amy's right hand and they followed the Doctor and Lucas.

As the four were walking, Amy saw the wallpaper of a building with part of the wall missing. The wallpaper was burgundy with black serrated lines.

"Rory, doesn't that remind you of the bottom of Jane's dress at our wedding?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Are you lying because you've forgotten?"

"Yes. I . . . you were the only person I was paying attention to that day."

"That's very . . . nice," Amy replied, choosing not to make fun of Rory's response.

The Doctor and Lucas had noticed that Rory and Amy stopped, so they joined the couple. The Doctor went into the building to look around, followed by his companions. They explored the building and suddenly came across a small group of humans when the Doctor opened a door.

"We're doctors!" one of the instinctively cried.

"We're . . . travelers. We're not part of the war," the Doctor responded. "We have no weapons. We're just traveling through the area."

"This place isn't known for tourism, even before the war."

"All the more reason to see it," the Doctor quipped.

"I'm Reese Hunt. This is Cam Dumez. That's Skye Choi and Rod Fassben."

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor what?" Skye asked.

"Just the Doctor."

"What's your specialty?"

"A little bit of everything. This is Lucas. That's Amy and Rory. So you are all medical doctors?"

"Yes," Reese answered. "We were called to provide medical support for a division, but our navigational equipment failed us. We landed in the wrong place and are trying to find Division M23PX."

An explosion startled everyone.

"That was very close," Rory noted.

"TARDIS, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Yes, let's all go back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Perhaps I can locate your division for you."

The four doctors grabbed their belongings, with Rory and Lucas helping by taking a bag each, and followed the Doctor.

"Is this all the medical supplies you have?" Rory asked.

"Landing in the wrong place meant landing somewhere a ship shouldn't land and therefore falling apart," Cam said.

"We lost a lot of supplies," Skye added. She was walking right next to Cam.

"Maybe the Doctor can give you some things from the TARDIS," Rory said. "Some of it might be strange to you, but we can show you how to use them. I'm a nurse."

Six soldiers suddenly appeared, followed by three more groups of six soldiers. The civilians found themselves surrounded.

"We're doctors!" Cam cried.

A soldier wearing a different outfit than the rest stepped forward and Skye approached him.

"I am Doctor Skye Choi. These are Doctors Cam Dumez, Reese Hunt, and Rod Fassben. That's Rory, our medical trainee. These are Lucas, Amy, and . . . Mikel, our administrative aides."

"I am First Commander Loane Hesha. You will come with us."

Lucas threw the Doctor a look of amusement, though the Doctor couldn't tell if he was referring to his new name or their comparable encounter with the Brillings. The eight civilians followed the soldiers to their vehicles. The soldiers blindfolded the eight and drove them to a base. Very quietly, Reese and Skye instructed their new acquaintances along the way to not resist and to conform to the skill sets that Skye implied.

Once everyone arrived and blindfolds were taken off, Loane had directed the eight to a medical bay in which many soldiers lay wounded. Only three doctors were there. "Treat them," Loane simply said before leaving.

"Skye, Mikel, you two work together," Reese ordered. "Rod and Lucas, you will be a pair. Same for Cam and Amy. Rory will work with me."

The four pairs worked on various patients in the bay. Lucas and Amy mostly watched while the Doctor and Rory provided useful support.

"They're the enemy?" Lucas asked Rod, even though he already correctly assumed the affirmative.

"From our standpoint, we have no enemy," Rod answered. "The government that pays us is against them, but we doctors are neutral in our practice."

Lucas then realized that he knew very little about where and when he was. However, he wasn't ready to admit that to a stranger.

Amy had a similar conversation with Cam. Rory, on the other hand, was learning from Reese once he concluded that the patients were entirely human.

"You can get a better sense of the crack's dimensions with this," Reese taught Rory. He slid a small metal probe along a leg bone. "It's not comfortable for patients who are awake, but soldiers accept it, especially if they are in more pain from other injuries."

"We don't have that back home. It's interesting," Rory commented. He started to wonder about the risks of him knowing medical techniques of the future. Given the human patients and the technology, he assumed he had traveled far, but not very far.

The civilians finished their work long before Loane returned.

"What now?" Lucas asked while the eight were sitting around.

"They can only keep us for a limited time after serious injuries are treated," Skye answered.

Shortly after, a pair of soldiers arrived and blindfolded the eight again and drove them away. Arriving at another location, the soldiers instructed the group to sit down.

"Wait three minutes, then take off your blindfolds. Your supplies are near the entrance. Thank you for your efforts." The soldiers then departed.

…

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked after the blindfolds came off and the eight were walking around.

"I don't know. This isn't where we met the doctors."

"In general, I mean."

"Oh. The planet Mustelex in the year 3,888. This is the only human colony in this star system, and not everyone is getting along."

"That much we figured," Rory said.

"This was going to be a paradise, but economics stopped immigration here around one hundred years ago and the colonists who were already here became rather isolated from the rest of humanity."

The group continued walking, searching for the doctors' allies. Amy and Rory took the occasion to know Lucas better.

"So, what do you do?" Rory asked.

"I'm a student. I'm getting my doctorate degree in physics."

"You work in the physics department, too?" Rory added.

"Yeah, I help with some research and some teaching."

"And in your spare time?" asked Amy.

Lucas laughed. "I swim in the little, near-nonexistent, spare time I have."

"The TARDIS has a pool," Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't bring any swimwear with me."

"Who says you need to wear anything?" Amy responded while smiling mischievously.

"Amy!" Rory chided.

"Fine, you can borrow something. The Doctor has to have something you can wear."

"Thanks, but that's all right. I don't need to swim. I never missed it while I was traveling with the Doctor."

"You've never swum in the pool before?"

"No, never."

"Oh, not a big hobby of yours, then?" Amy asked.

"It's a big hobby. I love it. I just never did it in the TARDIS."

Amy's flirtation reminded the Doctor about a conversation he had. "Excuse me, guys," Lucas said as he caught up with the Doctor.

"Lucas," the Doctor acknowledged.

"Doctor, I sort of met Jack Harkness in 2006."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"Well, I met him on GR Magellan 9 first. That was a later version of him. He was the one who helped me get through everything. Then I met a younger version of him two thousand years earlier and he helped get my past self to GR Magellan 9. It's sort of complicated."

"Nothing's complicated until you meet River Song."

"Did Jack ever get ahold of you? He was trying to find you."

"Yeah, he found me, a couple times."

"Great, okay. You know, it was really weird experiencing the Earth getting stolen after you told me about it. Was Jack involved in getting that fixed?"

"Yes, he was."

"How about last Christmas, with our heads and that planet in the sky?"

"No."

"But you were?"

"Yeah, I was."

"I didn't believe that cover story. So what else happened since I last saw you? How long has it been from your perspective?"

Another group of soldiers popped up at that point. Based on the reaction of the doctors, the Doctor and his companions concluded that these were on the doctors' side.

"What division are you?" Reese asked.

"We're mixed. We've got a collection of divisions back at our base. Two of us here are from M27NB, two from M15KN, and one from M43TX."

"We're looking for M23PX."

"Yeah, they're with us. Sergeant Pless, show them the way."

Night was falling and the eight soon arrived at the base, where Reese gave the commander of M23PX a summary of the doctors' trip.

"We're all settled, then," Reese told the group when he rejoined it.

"Good," the Doctor answered. "We'll just be on our way then if someone could point us to where we all first met."

"It's dark now," Reese said. "You cannot put yourselves at risk by traveling at night. Spend the night. I insist."

The Doctor relented.

"Choi, Fassben, Dumez, we have work to do."

"If we're staying," Rory said. "I'd like to help."

"Sure," Reese answered.

…

The Doctor, Lucas, and Amy were shown living quarters that Amy noticed were isolated from the rest.

"Doctor, should we do anything in this conflict?" Lucas asked.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know . . . I don't know which side we should be on, either. I wouldn't want to base alliances on who we saw first."

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement. "We should leave the war to the planet's inhabitants."

Lucas recalled the Doctor's attempt to mediate in Yeeso. "Yeah."

Later, Rory and the doctors returned.

"How did everything turn out?" Amy asked.

"We lost a few people," Rory answered, " but their arrival definitely made a big difference."

Amy pulled Rory in a hug. "So why are these quarters so far away from everything?" she asked.

"We rarely interact with the others unless we are treating them," Cam said. "We don't sleep near them, eat near them, go to the bathroom near them, or anything else."

"But you save their lives!" Amy said.

"That's why we're distant," Skye responded. "It helps us when we don't have any strong emotional connections to our patients and the soldiers know that."

"The fact that we treat some and know so much about them makes subsequent visits a little weird," Rod added. "There's that."

"You helping the other side must factor into it, too," the Doctor noted.

"Yes," said Skye, "even if we don't actually help them, our neutrality adds to that distance."

"The soldiers here didn't treat us any differently than the others treated you," Rory pointed out.

"No."

Everyone started to hear shouts and shooting outside. The four doctors quickly threw on vests that identified them as medical staffers and gave four to the Doctor and his companions. The four doctors then charged out, grabbing their supplies as they heard small explosions could.

"Amy, stay here where it's safe," Rory said.

"Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"I need to help. This is what I'm trained for."

"You're not trained to save future human lives in combat."

"I can still help, make a difference. I'll be okay," Rory said, pointing to his vest. "You saw how safe we were in that base."

"I'll help," Lucas said. "And I'll look after him." Lucas looked at the Doctor. "I can be as neutral in practice as they are, Doctor. I don't need to decide which side is better, I just need to help whoever I see injured."

The Doctor nodded and joined Lucas as they ran outside. Amy followed soon after.

Outside, the Doctor and Amy helped identify for the doctors soldiers who needed help. They also found several soldiers partially buried under a collapsed roof and worked together to remove the chunks of the building off the unconscious soldiers.

Lucas, on the other hand, shadowed Rory in order to keep his word. He helped by applying pressure on wounds, keeping certain areas sterilized, and having bandages ready until Rory or a doctor was ready to treat the injured soldiers.

Ultimately, the base of the M divisions for which the doctors worked fell that night and the eight civilians stayed put throughout the night to minimize deaths. The star had already begun shining when they finished treating serious injuries for both sides. Eventually, the Doctor finally decided it was time to go.

"I found out where we are relative to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "We won't be necessary in this specific war arena anymore now that one side has taken over."

"I'm not sure I could ever be involved in anything like that again," Amy commented during the walk back. "How can those doctors handle all that alienation and then just fearlessly jump into saving those lives with everything else going on?"

"I don't think I could do that long-term and I was leaving the hard procedures to the doctors. I think I understand, though, even if my hospital was tame compared to this. I think when they're gearing up and getting ready mentally, it can be difficult, but once they start moving and working, those feelings get replaced by something that helps them."

"Like running?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I suppose that analogy works," Rory responded as the four reached the TARDIS and entered for a day of rest.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Fear Before Courage**

_Chapter 9: Chapter Nine_

Lucas, Rory, and Amy were looking at an extravagant mansion at dusk while the Doctor described it.

"There used to be a human population in this country, but the fierce summers eventually convinced them to leave for other parts of the planet and the Malgendees replaced them. This was a human president's residence and later a group of spiritual Malgendees moved in and did . . . spiritual stuff in here." The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to open the door.

"Are we intruding?" Rory asked. The first thing he saw was a staircase.

"This place has been vacant for a long time now. The Malgendees that lived here vanished and this became a tourism spot until more and more visitors got spooked."

Rory looked at the Doctor with a bit of apprehension. "And why are we here?"

"Because it's old and old is sad and sad is happy for deep people," the Doctor answered as he used the sonic screwdriver to turn on the few working lights in the building.

"Where'd you pick that up?" Lucas asked as the group walked along a hall.

"A girl named Sally Sparrow. We came across some Weeping Angels separately in an abandoned estate."

"And when I was asleep, you came across some Vashta Nerada in an abandoned library," Lucas commented.

"Third time's the charm?" the Doctor said.

"Why do I doubt those weren't the first two?" Lucas asked, mocking the Doctor with a fake smile.

A gasp from Amy drew attention to her and the group stopped.

"What is it?"

Lucas leaned on a wall as Amy recovered herself.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Let's keep moving. I thought I saw something, but I was wrong," Amy lied, as she saw an older woman with an eye patch looking at her.

The four continued on, not noticing the outline of a humanoid figure appearing on the wall where Lucas leaned. It gradually went away. The group then came across another staircase and Rory noticed that the floor on the staircase and possibly the second floor differed in material compared to the first floor. The Doctor, on the other hand, was drawn to a book encased in a glass display. He used his sonic screwdriver to get access.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"It's a journal left by the Malgendees." The Doctor flipped through the pages. "It's a record of their spiritual path, organized by steps in their progress, chapters."

"Doctor, this thing says neither humans nor Malgendees could translate the journal," Lucas said.

"It's the language of the Peer Warovi, which the TARDIS translates for us. They lived here before the humans, long before. How did these Malgendees learn it?"

While the Doctor was running theories through his head, Rory looked out a window, curious about an aircraft flying by. He put his hands on the window for support. As the aircraft left his field of vision, Rory looked forward and was stunned by what he saw. A figure was slowly forming in the window. Entranced, Rory saw a humanoid figure. He made out a nose and lips, but he couldn't see the eyes. Gradually, Rory saw black reverberating circles appear in the orbital cavity instead of eyes. Suddenly, Rory felt his hand being pulled away from the window. It was the Doctor.

The Doctor, Amy, Lucas, and Rory watched as the figure became more clearly defined. Black cracks formed on the figure's cheeks and a sound accompanied the appearance.

"It sounds like an open D string," Lucas commented.

"What?" Amy asked.

"My mother plays the viola. It sounds like an open D string on her viola."

"Let's get out of here," Amy suggested.

The four ran towards the door and the Doctor reached it first. As soon as he touched the handle, black smoke burst through the air, propelling several objects in the Doctor's possession onto the staircase and the floor above it.

Amy, Rory, and Lucas looked around.

"Where's the Doctor?" Rory asked.

Everyone heard the sound of an open viola D string. Another figure had formed on the door, more quickly than the last. The blackness of the eyes and cheek cracks were clear and the figure began coming out of the door.

"Run!" Amy cried as the three ran away.

"We need to find another exit," Lucas said.

"And then what?" Rory asked. "How do we prevent what just happened?"

"What about the Doctor?" said Amy. "What do we do about him? Where did he go?"

"Maybe if we can get to the TARDIS . . ." Lucas began. "I don't know. I was hoping we could do something there. Do either of you know anything about the controls?"

"Not really," Amy replied.

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, same here."

"The Doctor said that the humans left because of the summers, so maybe whatever is happening here happened with the Malgendees and maybe the tourists," Rory suggested.

"What are you thinking?" Lucas asked.

"That journal belonged to the Malgendees. It was about their spiritual journey. Maybe there's something in there that will help us."

Amy, Lucas, and Rory looked at each other and slowly made their way to the display case.

"That thing isn't there anymore," Amy said. "Maybe that was all temporary. Maybe it's walking around."

"The book isn't there, either," Rory observed.

Lucas looked at the pair. "The Doctor had it . . . but a lot of stuff got thrown. Maybe the book is still around."

The three then crept to the door, careful not to touch anything. They saw that the figure at the door was still there.

"It's not moving much," Rory noticed.

"Keep an eye on it. I'll look around for the book," Lucas said. He and Amy found it at the top of the staircase.

"There it is," Amy said as she began towards it.

"Wait!" Rory yelled. He approached the staircase and quickly tapped on the floor. "We haven't created any of those with our feet, but the flooring is different here."

Amy, Rory, and Lucas jumped back as a humanoid figure began appearing, but it lasted only around the same amount of time as the one Lucas was releasing by leaning.

"The Doctor is different from us so we only have two cases to go off of," Rory stated, "but maybe the length of contact affects the length those things are here."

"We'll have to be very quick, then," Amy said.

"We can't go up there!" Rory replied.

"No choice," Amy said quickly as she darted up the steps.

"Amy!" Rory cried after her. He saw that figures were already manifesting on the stairs.

Amy quickly retrieved the book and then saw the sonic screwdriver so she got that, too. As she began to go down the stairs, she paused as she saw the figures on the staircase. Everyone heard the open D string and a ghostly white hand suddenly grabbed Amy's foot; it had come out from the floor and tripped Amy.

"They've gotten stronger," Lucas noticed as the sound reminiscent of the viola string continued and multiplied.

Amy laid facedown on the stairs, barely keeping herself from slipping. More humanoid figures started to appear around her. Seeing no other choice, Rory ran up and picked Amy up. He kicked the hand that held her, which was now connected to a visible white arm. After finally freeing Amy, Rory and Amy sprinted down the stairs, not caring that they were stepping on humanoid figures or that they were creating more. When there were four steps left, they simply jumped off onto the ground, accidentally pushing Lucas back.

An arm suddenly wrapped around Lucas, causing him to turn faster than he thought he ever could. He was surprised to see the Doctor partially out of the wall, looking normal. Lucas pulled him out with Rory's and Amy's help. The Doctor and Lucas then looked at each other and started laughing, prompting a look of annoyance from Amy.

The four then turned to the staircase. The sound of open D had stopped and figures in the stairs were disappearing, but five humanoids had completely emerged from the staircase. Their pale faces with black orbits and cheek cracks looked cold. The rest of the body looked humanoid, but it shone white. The five started marching towards the Doctor and his companions so they ran.

"Doctor, what happened to you?" Lucas asked.

"I'm different, as Rory pointed out. They want to drain human and Malgendee energy, suck you all dry, but when they contacted me, they felt in that instant something else and tried to absorb me for more power. It didn't permanently take so I've been trying to get out. I was still able to see and hear everything going on."

"Do you know what they are?" Rory asked.

"They're the Malgendees that lived here, influenced by what they learned about the Peer Warovi. We had a brief mental link, but I wasn't able to get as much as I wanted out of it. I just know that they adopted another form and now they're trying to get back."

"They'll try to get to you again, won't they?" Lucas asked.

"Probably."

Amy looked back and saw that four humanoids became translucent and eventually faded away. "There's only one now," she said.

"Where's my sonic screwdriver, Amy?"

Amy handed it over and the Doctor immediately directed it at the Malgendee figure. "This is a different type of emission, nothing to absorb, but it can take on one of those and hold it in place for a while."

"Why did the other ones disappear?" Amy asked.

"I think those came from contact with you. This one came from contact with Rory. He's got more energy."

"Why?"

"Nothing big. It's just a sex difference," the Doctor replied, lying. He didn't want to deal with the consequences of a theory in his head while all four were still in the mansion.

The figure stopped advancing, but was still able to slightly move. Amy flipped through the book.

"There are ten sections here."

"Skim through the last one," Rory suggested.

While Rory watched the Malgendee and Lucas kept his eyes out for others as a precaution, the Doctor and Amy read as quickly as they could.

"They planned to stand in a circle and perform a ceremony so they could ascend into another form of existence," the Doctor said. "They thought they could work around all the warnings. What warnings?" The Doctor flipped to the preceding chapter.

The Malgendee started to move more.

"Doctor, we're going to need your sonic screwdriver again," Rory said as the Malgendee started advancing again.

The Doctor pointed the screwdriver down, weakening the flooring. "Rory, very quickly, take off pieces of the floor. Don't touch anything below that."

The Malgendee went to a wall and started to release another Malgendee.

Rory grabbed two panels off the floor. "What are these for?"

"Weapons!" the Doctor responded. "It's taken a risk in giving a second one energy. Don't touch the Malgendee."

Rory ran towards the Malgendee and started beating it with the panels. Eventually, the Malgendee and the figure in the wall disappeared and everyone sighed in relief.

"The floor material doesn't support the Malgendees," the Doctor said, "but you already knew that. The main problem with them is power. They thought they had enough between them to ascend, but they didn't. They ended up scattered throughout the mansion in material that isn't too dense. The floor is too dense. Since then, they've been trying to accumulate power to retake physical form, get more power, and then try again."

"Is there anything else that's too dense that we can use for an exit?" Lucas asked. "Or do we just use more parts of the floor to knock down that door?"

"Well, now we know not to touch the front door, I can use the sonic screwdriver."

Lucas rolled his eyes at the Doctor not having done so before.

"Well, you can bring some panels to nudge the door open more if it makes you feel better."

Lucas smiled sarcastically at the Doctor again. Eventually, the group made it back to the TARDIS and the Doctor activated the controls.

"Are we going to warn anyone about this?" Rory asked.

"No, we're going back into the mansion and taking care of it."

The TARDIS soon landed and the Doctor fiddled with some more controls. Everyone then looked at the scanner.

"The TARDIS is leaking energy now," the Doctor said.

The four then saw dozens of Malgendees rise out of the mansion's walls and other places. Despite the closed door, they could hear the characteristic sound of their emergence. The skin of the Malgendees turned green and they held up their arms and put distance between their legs to fully embrace and absorb the TARDIS' energy. Soon, the Malgendees became translucent again and disappeared.

"Did they go back into the mansion?" Amy asked.

"No, they moved on."

"They got what they wanted?" Lucas asked.

"They died. It's not what they initially sought, but they never would have succeeded. They were in agony in the mansion and a second attempt would have made it worse. This is what they would have wanted if they realized what they had done to themselves and what would have happened if they got all the energy they wanted. Less lives lost by using the TARDIS. They should have heeded the warnings."

The TARDIS then dematerialized, leaving the mansion truly empty.

"We've completely left?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, we've dematerialized," the Doctor answered.

"That's a relief, even if those Malgendees are really gone," Rory commented. "That was scary. Frightening."

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by looking fear in the face. If you live through horror, you can take the next thing that comes along, so you must do what you think you cannot do," Lucas said.

"Yeah," Rory responded. "I like a lot of what Eleanor Roosevelt said. I think her exact words were a bit different, but the important message is the same."

"What?" Lucas asked, having trouble grasping what Rory just said.

"She put it differently. I've read two versions of it in two realities, and they're both different from what you quoted. The differences aren't worth worrying about."

Lucas, though, was caught off guard for a different reason. "He got it from someone , I'm going to beat him up for that."

"Who are you talking about?" Amy asked.

Lucas laughed. "It's no one. Never mind."

Lucas looked at the Doctor. "So, where are we going now?"

"Anywhere you want."


	10. Welcome to Atlantis

**Fear Before Courage**

Here's the final chapter. The Doctor's first conversation with Rosita references a previous story of mine (A Shadow Coming). However, that's the only reference to the story and it's inconsequential, so nothing will be lost by not reading A Shadow Coming.**  
><strong>

_Chapter 10: Welcome to Atlantis_

The Doctor, Lucas, Amy, and Rory visited Victorian London in the spring at Lucas' request. His paternal grandmother was fond of the period and was constantly talking about it whenever Lucas and Liam visited.

The Doctor and Lucas walked around together, giving Rory and Amy some personal time.

"Doctor," they heard someone call. It was Rosita. "You must love this place."

The Doctor smiled. "Lucas here wanted to visit. Lucas, this is Rosita."

"Nice to meet you, Rosita. The Doctor's told me a little about your last trip together."

"I wish my mood wasn't so grim after Revis was defeated. I should have taken you to more places. Better places." The Doctor looked at Rosita intently. "Interested?"

The Doctor knew from Rosita's facial expression that she wasn't going to refuse.

…

The Doctor and his four companions visited the memorials on Poverss dedicated to the agate monarchs, Perrin Capital University on Hygert where a troupe of dancers used their shadows for show, the singing waterfalls that the Doctor had shown Martha before on Chebott, the Yellow Museum in Lagaria which housed the ruby statues by the Lattler Giants, and a public zoo in Jetchma in which butterflies from Earth were kept and evolved into a different form. Next, the group arrived in an enclosed space. They heard water outside.

"We're on a ship on Earth, in the past," the Doctor realized.

Amy looked at Rory.

"I'll try not to die this time," Rory said.

"We're not moving," the Doctor said. He ascended to the deck, with his companions following him.

"It looks like everyone's over there," Lucas pointed out.

The group saw two dozen Europeans conversing with humanoid aliens. The aliens had long silver hair and wore robes adorned with complicated designs. Standing with them were humans with darker skin, simpler clothes, and long black hair.

"What year is this, Doctor?" Rosita finally asked.

"Based on . . . everything? I'm guessing 1,581 BC and this is Atlantis; or rather, it will be called Atlantis. Right now, everyone calls it Apchel."

"You told me about Atlantis," Lucas commented. "You told me about Kronos and the Master on Thera."

"That's another place. By the time Plato wrote about Atlantis, the myths about Thera and Apchel had merged."

By then, the Doctor and his companions were on the beach and approaching the group already there.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. This is Lucas, Rosita, Rory, and Amy."

"Are you with Nikanor?"

"No, we came from somewhere else."

"I am Captain Alketas. What are you doing here?"

"We're just traveling. Our ship was damaged and we barely made it ashore."

"You are all dry," Alketas noted.

"We've been lying around for a while to recover. So . . . you're expecting Nikanor? Where's he coming from?"

"Athenae. My men have set up a place to rest while we are here. We can give you refuge. Where are you from?"

"Maryland."

"I don't know that place."

"It's very small, not far from Parnassus."

"Then you may set home with us tomorrow. However, you must gather some food and water for yourselves to reduce the burden to us."

"We can do that," the Doctor responded. "As a matter of fact, we can do that right now. Lucas, stay and . . . do whatever."

Lucas nodded, knowing that the Doctor wanted a set of eyes on what's going on.

The Doctor, Amy, Rosita, and Rory walked around a forest.

"More aliens in our past, Doctor?" Rory said.

"Yeah. We'll see what they're up to."

"What are they?" asked Rosita.

"I don't know."

The four wandered around trying to locate any belongings of the aliens to help the Doctor learn more. Amy and Rosita suddenly stopped moving and stared forward. Rory, noticing, stopped in concern and then saw two aliens. He stood still as a precaution. The Doctor also witnessed the change and the aliens. One had a green sash around his left arm.

"You're using mind control to stop their movements," the Doctor commented loudly. He stepped back quickly and was soon behind his companions, looking like he was retreating.

"That is perceptive of you," an alien answered. "You are not human."

"No. What species are you?"

"We are Mulldens. We have not heard of Maryland before. Your planet?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "What are you doing here?"

The Mulldens did not answer.

"I can help."

The Mulldens still did not answer.

"Your mind control is strong?"

"Yes," a Mullden replied.

"It must involve some effort. Perhaps all it takes to stop it is a blow to your heads."

The Mulldens pulled out weapons. "You will not have that opportunity."

"No, but maybe a human whose brainwaves are different from other humans might, if you don't take that into account."

The Mulldens didn't know what was happening when Rory knocked them both down with a couple swings of a heavy stick.

Rory exhaled in exasperation. "A partial ghost is one thing, Doctor . . . " Rory began until he saw Amy wavering. He ran over to her. "Easy, Amy."

"Doctor, what do you think they're doing here?" Rory asked.

"I don't know yet," the Doctor responded while checking the Mulldens.

Back on the beach, the Mulldens and the humans in their company had separated from the European visitors. Lucas stayed with the visitors and helped them load boxes into the ship.

"You're traders?" Lucas asked Alketas.

"Yes. We buy our goods in Athenae and then come here. We sell most of our new goods in Athenae before returning home."

"Does Nikanor do the same thing as you?"

"Yes, but he lives in Athenae."

Lucas saw Rosita signaling to him. "Excuse me," he said before running into the forest. He rejoined the Doctor, Amy, and Rory.

"Won't they be looking for these two?" Amy was asking.

"We'll try to finish before then."

"What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"Whatever those Mulldens are up to, it's not good," the Doctor answered. "They have mind control, but they can't take on everyone from that ship and the humans here."

"You think the people here are already under their control?" Rosita asked.

"I know it, based on the way they were standing there. The Mulldens can't take control of the shipmates, otherwise they would have already. Based on your and Amy's experience, they shouldn't have been able to take control of all the residents here. They must have something that amplifies their power to control one group of people."

"Lucas, have you become friendly with anyone from the ship?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, Alketas."

"Good. Lucas and Rosita, you two go back to the visitors and tell them what's happening. We'll need their help. Stay hidden from the Mulldens. Amy, Rory, and I will find the amplification device."

"Can I have your psychic paper?" Lucas asked.

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory attempted to backtrack the two Mulldens' path, hoping to find something useful. They eventually found a ship. Two Mulldens stood near it.

"Rory, the last two didn't know that their mind control didn't work on you."

"I understand, Doctor," Rory said before heading towards the two Mulldens. As soon as the Mulldens saw him, Rory stopped, then suddenly took steps to his right before stopping again. Noticing a metallic rod on the ground, Rory fell, making sure it was within reach. As expected, the Mulldens walked over to Rory, thinking there was something wrong. They were surprised when Rory leapt up with the rod in his hands and starting attacking the two. The Doctor and Amy joined the fray and the two Mulldens were soon immobilized. The Doctor ran into the ship and checked the controls.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Rosita noticed a Mullden on the beach and snuck around it to board Alketas' ship.

"Alketas, how many of your people are off the ship?" Lucas asked.

"Only a few."

"Okay. The Doctor lied about who we are," Lucas said holding up the psychic paper. "We were sent to investigate the transactions here. There is suspicion that the goods taken back to Athenae have intentionally been contaminated with a disease."

"We have heard no reports of illness," Alketas countered.

"Only a few people in Athenae were sick when we left, but many will become sick soon and die. The disease acts slowly, that is why it took time to identify the traders as the source. The ones with long silver hair are responsible. We cannot permit them to continue."

"What should we do?"

"You should gather your men and prepare to fight for our home."

Rosita saw something in the horizon. "And get them on our side," she added.

Alketas saw what Rosita noticed. "Nikanor has arrived."

Back at the Mullden ship, Rory was standing guard.

"The mind control amplifier isn't here," the Doctor said. "I can still manipulate it. These ships are connected." The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the ship, resulting in numerous sparks.

"Doctor?" Rory cried from outside.

"It's all right, Rory. It worked. Their mind control capabilities are limited now."

"But their weapons aren't," Rory said.

"I know that, Rory." The Doctor then realized the implication of Rory's statement. He quickly went outside and saw nine Mulldens pointing their weapons. Two Mulldens advanced and pulled out the Doctor and Amy.

"Who are you?" a Mullden asked.

"We're representatives of the Corydaan government. We have been sent to evaluate this planet to update our records and to initiate contact with all sentient life forms."

"Why have you meddled with our technology?"

"Your mind control was interfering with our goals."

"And your presence is interfering with ours," the Mullden said.

"We'll just be on our way, then."

"I will not permit that."

"We need to get back to the emperor's son."

"The other boy?"

"Yes."

"We'll all go there."

"Other?" Rory questioned.

"Lucas is older than you."

Back on the beach, Nikanor and his men were unloading their ship while Rosita and Alketas pretended to help. In actuality, they were discussing the problem with the Mulldens. Meanwhile, Lucas opened the boxes already loaded onto Alketas' ship to examine the contents but found nothing suspicious. Four Mulldens were on the beach.

Eventually, Lucas and Rosita had all the traders on their side.

"Paaghol," a Mullden said to another. "We have lost contact with Eurack and Golpeine."

"Was one wearing a green sash on his arm?" Rosita asked.

"That was Eurack," Paaghol responded.

"I saw them lying down in the forest there. Follow me," Rosita said.

Rosita led the two toward the forest. A group of traders attacked them from behind, drawing the attention of the other two Mulldens. Those two ran towards the commotion, only to be attacked from behind as well.

At that time, however, the rest of the Mulldens appeared with the native residents, the Doctor, Rory, and Amy. Without prompting, the traders attacked. Able to escape in the process, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to inhibit the Mullden's weapons to an extent. However, several traders still fell.

Amy and Rory moved away from the fight and saw the native residents.

"You have full control now, don't you?" Amy said. "You can help us!"

The native residents did not move. Rory and Amy then realized that they had not been doing much at all since they first saw them. They had merely walked around.

"Maybe they've been under control for too long," Rory hypothesized.

Eventually, the traders defeated the Mulldens and the Doctor investigated the boxes that Lucas checked as well as another group that was presumably going to be loaded into Nikanor's ship. Lucas and Rosita accompanied him.

"These are just natural products indigenous to this area," the Doctor commented. "Perhaps this was legitimate." The Doctor continued looking around.

"What about the boxes?" Rosita asked.

"Lucas and I checked all of them."

"I mean the boxes themselves, the wood."

The Doctor looked at a lid and scanned it. He then broke the lid and found a few filaments running through it.

"What are those?" Lucas asked.

"I've seen these used once in the Time War. They intensify fire and energy power exponentially."

Lucas and Rosita tore apart other lids and other parts of boxes and found many filaments.

"When you say exponentially . . ." Lucas said.

The Doctor ran out to Alketas. "Alketas, how many trips have there been between Athenae and the aliens?"

"I believe Nikanor was going to be the fourteenth."

"So, twelve sets of boxes in Greece now," the Doctor said. He ran to a Mullden spaceship. Lucas, Rosita, Rory, and Amy joined him as he went through the ship's computers.

"The first boat to Athens contained an explosive device. It's small; it would have caused a third degree burn and some temporary hearing problems. With the average number of boxes on ships, fourteen ships, and the number of filaments we saw, that small explosion would have obliterated Athens and some of the surrounding areas. Why did the Mulldens want to destroy Athens?"

The Doctor ran to Nikanor, who was conveniently standing near Alketas "Do either of you know how many more trips between here and Athenae were planned?"

"We would have wanted to trade for as long as we could," Nikanor said.

"I heard, though, that there would be some changes soon."

"How soon?"

"They said their current supplies could only accommodate four more ships."

The Doctor then ran to the TARDIS with his companions following. "Assume there won't be any more filaments after the fourth ship. Based on how frequently ships come and go and their velocity, that fourth ship would arrive in Athens . . . at this time," the Doctor said, pointing to a screen. He then looked at another screen. "There's a ship near Uranus now. It's not a Mullden ship. At its current velocity, it would reach Athens shortly after the fourth ship."

"Can the TARDIS take into account Earth's rotation and determine how close that ship would be to Athens if it doesn't change its path?" Lucas asked.

"Of course, and the ship would land at the edge of the Nile."

"That's very close," Rory said. "Maybe they are headed for Athens and the Mulldens want to destroy them."

The Doctor left the ship and went to see the Mulldens. "You have nothing to lose by telling us who you are trying to kill."

"The Pyamks," one of them finally said.

"I know the Pyamks very well. You are at war with them?"

"They are planning to colonize this planet. The fleet coming is the first and most important of the colonization force. If the fleet and its destination get destroyed, they'll give up."

"And then you'll colonize?"

"That is very likely."

The Doctor sighed. "This wouldn't be the first time this happened on Earth."

The Doctor then went back to the TARDIS and initiated contact with first the Shadow Proclamation and then the Pyamks. "Hello, there. You should know that what you are about to do violates the Shadow Proclamation. I'd suggest you turn around, unless you want to discuss this matter further with the Shadow Proclamation. They are on the way here to remove all the Mulldens."

The Doctor saw the ship change course and away from Earth so he joined his companions. They watched as the Judoon came and took the Mulldens and their ships away.

"The bomb and the filaments were all hidden in boxes. The boxes will be thrown away and the bomb will never activate," the Doctor said. "Athenae will be safe. The bomb will eventually crumble apart in time. It's not meant to last long."

"Doctor, why would the aliens use such a weak device or do all this from another place?" Rosita asked.

"Everything needed to be very low key. Otherwise, the Pyamks could have detected it all from space and the Mulldens' plans would have fallen apart."

"Doctor, what about the natives?" Amy asked.

"They'll be fine, but they need a lot of time and a lot of isolation from others."

"That's not going to happen with all this trading going on," Rory pointed out.

"I have an idea," the Doctor responded.

The Doctor and his companions helped load Nikanor's ship, much to his pleasure because he did not have to give anything in return. Alketas' and Nikanor's ships then departed in unison, leaving the natives alone.

The Doctor and his companions then boarded the TARDIS and the Doctor went alone into a room that housed a machine. He sat down in front of the machine and placed his head on a slanted surface. After around twenty minutes, he emerged from the room.

"I used the filaments to increase my telepathic abilities and altered the traders' memories. They think that their trips failed. They think that the beach is a specific distance away from Greece, and I altered it so that they think it's much closer so when they reached that distance and found nothing, they assumed that the land disappeared."

The TARDIS then dematerialized.

"What about Greece?" Amy asked. "Won't they have different information?"

"We're going there now. We're taking the boxes so there won't be evidence of trade and the additional filaments will help me."

The Doctor then repeated the same procedure to alter everyone's knowledge of distance to the beach. The process took much longer and the Doctor finally emerged from the room.

"Everything's good now. The Mulldens are gone, the Pyamks won't come, Apchel will become Atlantis, and everyone will leave the natives alone so they can fully recover."

"They'll be isolated?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, evidence of Mycenaean Greece will eventually fade. Europe won't come again for another 3,300 or so years. Even then, Ponce de León is going to face a lot of resistance."

Lucas' eyes widened.

"They're . . . Native Americans?"

"Yeah, did I not mention that?"

"Doctor, where were we?" Rory asked.

"Well, you know the place better as Florida."

…

The Doctor and his companions continued traveling. They went to Louria to see dimetrodons that fell through a rift from Earth, Jopla to see the ice caverns, and Urie-Lacendo to see the rolling ferns.

The TARDIS then took Rosita home.

"Perhaps we'll meet again, Rosita."

"I wouldn't mind, Doctor. Goodbye."

The Doctor saw that Lucas was outside the TARDIS, too.

"It's time for you to go, too, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Doctor." Lucas exhaled. "Doctor, it took some time for me to realize why I wanted to travel with you at all when we met again."

The Doctor nodded. "Some people on Earth would call it the Stockholm Syndrome, but I know you better than that. The thing is, Lucas, you already proved to me and to yourself that you could get past everything I did to you."

"When?"

"When you continued, got on with your life in Maryland after I dropped you off the first time. You proved it again when you adapted and got productive after finding yourself on GR Magellan 9. You already faced your fears and conquered them."

Lucas smiled slightly, not knowing how else to react.

"Shall I take you home now?"

"There's something I'd like to do first, but I need to borrow something of yours or Rory's."

Later, Lucas swam in the TARDIS' swimming pool. He lost count of the laps he swam, not that he minded. He was content going back and forth. Finally, the Doctor took him home and Rory bid farewell to Amy and Rory.

"I wouldn't be opposed to running into you again," Lucas told the Doctor outside the TARDIS.

"Maybe we will see each other again." The Doctor smiled and pulled Lucas into a long hug. "Goodbye, my courageous friend."

END

* * *

><p>Thanks a lot for reading. Feel free to leave a review. I do wonder about areas in which I could use some improvement. Also, here's a timeline for Lucas, just FYI. It has his future, too, just because I like being complete. If I ever revisit Lucas in another story, the information about his future likely wouldn't be spoilers or anything like that.<p>

1982-1993 - Born and raised in Pennsylvania  
>1993-2000 - Middle and high school in Maryland<br>2000-2004 - Undergraduate studies in physics  
>2004-2005 - Master's studies in teaching<br>2005-2009 - Teaching high school science  
>2009-2014 - Doctoral studies in physics<br>2014-2017 - Junior scientific advisor at UNIT, NYC  
>2017-2061 - Physics professor<p> 


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